Of Love And Bugs
by Failte
Summary: Takes place after Home Sweet Home...Darcy's sister comes for a visit and a traitor in their ranks causes trouble Complete
1. So Begins Her Vacation

Hi!

Okay, here is the sequel to the sequel to the sequel….I really had no intention of starting a whole series, but once I finish one story, another one seems to start.

All relative disclaimers apply!  
  
Enjoy,

Failte

****************************************************

Darcy stood alongside the tarmac, swaying gently and looking down at her daughter.

"Where's your daddy?"  Darcy whispered.

Schuyler, or Little Sky as she was now called by the guys, looked back at her with wide eyes while she sucked furiously on her pacifier.  

"He's supposed to be here to meet Aunt Becca when her ship lands," Darcy ran her fingers over Schuyler's chubby little stomach.  The pacifier stopped moving and a small giggle escaped the little girl's mouth.  "You're so ticklish, just like your daddy."

"More like her mommy," Lance whispered in her ear, running his hand down her side, causing Darcy to jump and Schuyler to whimper.

"It's okay, sweetie, daddy's being bad, he didn't mean it," Darcy said, rubbing Schuyler's back.

"Come here my little Sky," Lance lifted her out of his wife's arms.  "You're just fine, aren't you?"

She squealed in response and the corners of her mouth turned up on either side of her pacifier.

"They just entered Arusian airspace, they should be landing very shortly," Lance told Darcy as he danced around her, relishing in the sound of his daughter's giggles.

"Be careful, Lance, she just ate and I don't want her to throw it up."  Darcy smiled and watched them.  

Life had take on some semblance of normalcy for all of them.  Darcy was working with Dr. Gorma on a workout routine that she hoped would build up her muscle strength and regain the weight she had lost.  The difficult pregnancy, the final attack by Lotor, and the stress had left her painfully weak.  Luckily, she and Lance were still living in the castle and she was able to spend most of her time in their room and the nursery, being with her daughter.

Lance was working with Keith as his second-in-command of the Arusian military.  He was in charge of training the pilots of the Arusian Air Brigade as well as overseeing some committees and other training programs.  

"I heard a transport ship has entered Aruisan airspace."

They turned to see Allura waddling out onto the tarmac.  She rubbed her hand soothingly over her swollen stomach.  

"Allura," Darcy smiled.  "How're you feeling?"

"I feel great.  Cady's down for her nap and my afternoon is free so I thought I would come and see Becca."  
  


"How're things going inside?"  Lance asked her, glancing up at the castle.

"Everything is fine," she assured him.  "You have the day off, enjoy it, Lieutenant."

Before Lance could answer, the sound of an approaching ship drowned him out.  Schuyler began to cry, her pacifier falling from her mouth and swinging from the ribbon attached to her dress.  Lance turned his back to the tarmac, trying to shield her from the sound.  He whispered soothingly to her and rubbed her back as she cried.

*****************************************

Becca watched as the beautiful, green landscape of Arus came closer.  It had been a long, uneventful ride and she couldn't wait to set foot on solid ground again.  Her heart pounded as the castle came into view.  She knew Darcy and Lance would be waiting for her and she hoped Pidge would be there as well, not that she would admit it.  He was a busy person, in his last email to her, Pidge had said they were upgrading the entire computer system in the castle and it was keeping him up until two in the morning every night.  

She leaned back against her seat as the pilot told her they would be landing momentarily.  Taking a deep breath, Becca pressed a hand to her jumping stomach.  She would be on Arus for two months.  As excited as she was about seeing her sister and niece, she was even more excited about seeing Pidge.  They had been corresponding for almost a year, since Darcy and Lance's wedding, and Becca knew how she felt.  Pidge was a smart, kind, strong person.  She had seen pictures of him when he and the Force had first arrived on Arus, he had been a small boy with huge glasses and wild hair.  He was now tall and handsome, his hair a rich auburn, his eyes a dark brown and he had developed the muscular physique of a strongly disciplined soldier.  She had fallen head over heels for him, but she wasn't entirely sure how he felt about her.

Becca jolted when the ship hit land and rolled to a stop.  Shouldering her bag, she stood impatiently beside the exit.

"One moment, Ma'am," the pilot smiled politely as he went about opening the door and releasing the steps.

Darcy bounced from one foot to the other as she watched the door open and the steps unfold.  Lance chuckled as he watched his wife dance excitedly.  Schuyler was once again quietly sucking her pacifier, her eyes red and her cheeks wet.

"Becca!"  Darcy raced across the tarmac.

Becca glanced at the small group gathered and hoped her disappointment in Pidge's absence didn't show.

Darcy noticed it, though.  She threw her arms around her little sister and hugged her tightly, "Becs!  I am so glad you're here.  Don't worry, he's busy with the computer upgrade, but he said he will definitely see you at dinner."  
  


Becca blushed at Darcy's words, embarrassed that she had been that obvious.  "It's great seeing you, Darc.  Oh, I am so glad to be on solid ground again."

Darcy laughed and turned, "Come on, lets get you settled in and then we can catch up."

"Hi, Becca, welcome back," Lance pulled her into a one armed hug.

"Hi Lance, it's great seeing you again," Becca pulled back and looked at her niece.  "Wow, Schuyler has gotten so big!"

The little girl suddenly turned shy, hiding her face in her father's shoulder.

"I'll try not to take that personally," Becca said dryly before turning to the other woman standing there.  "Allura, it's great to see you again.  Thank you so much for letting me stay here."

"Oh, Becca, you're welcome any time, you know that," Allura told her as they hugged awkwardly.

"Allura, you look great!  When are you due?"  Becca asked, indicating Allura's swollen stomach.

"Not for a couple of more months, but when you're eating for three, you tend to put on a little extra weight," Allura laid her hands on her stomach.

Lance raised his eyebrows, "_A little?"_

Allura stuck her tongue out at him.

"That's not very Queen-like behavior," he told her.

"I would think that would have learned by now not to insult a pregnant woman, she can exact her revenge and blame it on hormones."

"Is that a threat?"

"Keep pushing and you'll find out."  
  


"Alright, alright children," Darcy interrupted, taking Schuyler from Lance.  "I'm going to show Becca to her room.  Please behave."  She gave Lance a quick kiss on the cheek.  "Can you get her bags to her room, please?"

Lance sighed dramatically, "I finally get a day off and I'm treated like a packing mule."

Darcy pinched his cheek, "But you're such a cute packing mule."

"Smartass."  He muttered, crossing toward the transport ship.

Darcy blew him a kiss before turning to her sister, "You tired?"

"Nah," Becca walked with her into the castle.  "I did nothing but sit and sleep and be bored for the past twenty eight hours.  I am hungry though."  
  


"So am I," Allura spoke up.  "Let's go raid the kitchen and see what Nanny has."

*******************************************

Pidge stood in Castle Control and watched as the young Corporal sitting before him typed in the program.  He skimmed the checklist in front of him.  Upgrading the internal computer system was a lot more difficult and taking a lot longer than anyone had anticipated.  Almost everything in the castle, from the alarms to the door locks to the electrical output to the refrigeration units were regulated by the system.  

A few small bugs had been detected.  The day before the locks cut off on the nursery door and Nanny and Cady were stuck inside for half an hour.  Another time the alarms had gone off for no reason, which is something they can not allow to happen.  Just that morning, electricity had been cut off from the kitchens for two hours.  No miscalculations could be allowed.

He had an entire crew, as well as the rest of the Force, working with him on the upgrade, but Pidge was they kind of person who needed to be completely hands-on in a situation like this.  As competent as he knew they were, he needed to be a part of every step to ease his mind.

Pidge sighed and ran a hand through his hair.  He idly thought how he needed a haircut; it now brushed his collar and often fell over his glasses.  

"It's finished, sir," Cpl. Cheyen looked up at him.

Pidge nodded, "Good work, Corporal, now I need you to stay and watch while it is processed, you know what you need to look for.  If you notice any interruptions in the sequence, let me know immediately."

Cheyen brought his hand up and saluted smartly, "Yes, sir."  
  


Pidge crossed to another terminal where Caleb was overseeing a scan that was running continuously, checking for viruses and bugs.  

"How's it going?"

Caleb smirked up at him, "So far everything's clear."  
  


Pidge nodded and took his glasses off, rubbing the bridge of his nose, "Good, good.  I think we may have finally worked everything out.  When are you going to be relieved?"

Caleb glanced at his watch, "Dante should be here in fifteen minutes or so.  What about you?"

"I'm going to stay here until this scan is finished and the program Cheyen just entered is fully processed."  
  


"That could be hours."

"Yeah, but if everything works out, we will be finished tonight."

Caleb nodded, "I'm glad to hear that, but you're running yourself ragged, Pidge.  You need some rest."  
  


"I'll get rest when we're done here."  Pidge looked down at the clipboard he held in his hand, scanning down the list of necessary updates.  "What time is it?"

"It's going on nine."  Caleb told him.

Pidge looked up, shocked and turned to look at the clock on the wall, "It is not that late!  It can't be.  I missed dinner."

Caleb smiled, "Nanny brought a tray in for you earlier, it's sitting over there, don't you remember?"

"No," Pidge looked over at the tray that sat on a side table.  "I didn't even hear her come in."  
  


"You need to take a break, man."  

Pidge sighed and nodded, "Yeah, well, we're almost done now."

It was almost nine o'clock, which means Becca had arrived several hours earlier.  He idly remembered hearing the arrival of the ship and the guard granting them permission to land.  Too much was going on for him to leave and greet her, but he had promised to be at dinner.  He felt guilty about not seeing her, but he also knew she understood how important this was.  Besides, she was really here to see Darcy and the baby, not him.

Pidge sighed again, earning a grin from Caleb that he didn't notice.  Everyone seemed to know that there was something going on between him and Rebecca Barlow.  It had all started as a simple friendship.  He had been hurt and felt broken by the loss of Renata.  Renata.  The thought of her still brought a slight pang to his chest, but it didn't hurt as deeply as it once did.  When he thought of her now, it was more with fondness than regret.  He knew that was partially due to Becca's influence.  She had listened when he needed to talk, smiled when he needed a friendly face, and talked when he needed to listen.

When she had returned to Terra, they continued their correspondence with letters, email, and a few calls.  Their friendship grew and at first Pidge had felt some guilt for the feelings he felt towards her.  He felt as though he was being unfaithful to Renata's memory.  

Becca was the total opposite of Renata.  She was more outgoing, more sure of herself.  She laughed more and had the 'Barlow Wit', a personality trait that allowed Darcy and Becca to hold their own with the smartass attitudes of the guys on the Force.  Becca was shorter than her sister, her hair was lighter and her features softer.  She was not as quiet or introverted as Darcy had been when they had all first met.  

Pidge had to admit he liked having a friend outside of the military.  Someone he could talk to about things besides the latest tactics, proper protocol, and their regimen.  And he could talk to her.  Whenever he sat down to answer one of her emails, he found himself typing forever, sending pages of gossip, ideas, and idle chitchat.  She was so easy to talk to.

"You okay, Pidge?"  Caleb asked as he stood.

Pidge pulled himself from his reverie and nodded, "Yeah, sorry, I guess I spaced out of a minute there.  What's up?"

"I'm going to fill Dante in on what I've been doing and then I'm out of here."

"No, problem, Caleb, thanks for all your help."  Pidge crossed over to the tray and picked up the cold coffee, draining the mug.  As he turned to talk to Cpl. Cheyen, he mentally vowed to make up for his rudeness toward Becca the next day.

**********************************************

Becca sat in the rec room relaxing with the others, but her eyes kept shifting to the clock on the wall.  She was more than a little disappointed that she hadn't seen Pidge yet.  

She sat on the couch beside Darcy, who was leaning against Lance who had his arm across the back of the couch, idly playing with a lock of Darcy's hair while he talked to Keith.  On the loveseat across from the couch, Allura sat beside Keith, her feet propped up on the coffee table, one hand on her stomach as she and Darcy discussed baby names.  It was a very comfortable moment, but Becca couldn't help but wish Pidge was there.

Cady and Schuyler were both tucked in bed, two baby monitors sat on the coffee table.  Hunk was off with Paton where they were planning their upcoming wedding.  Dante had just left to relieve Caleb who had been on duty and there had yet to be a sign of Pidge. 

Maybe she had been wrong.  Maybe he did just think of her as a friend and nothing more.  Becca suddenly felt foolish.  What had she been thinking?  Here he was, Lt. Pidge Audric of the famous Voltron Force, what could he possibly see in her?  A nobody from Terra.  It was silly to think he could like her.

She had just graduated from college with a degree in pre-med and she was going to start medical school in the fall.  There was so much going on in her life, this was for the best.  Getting involved in a long distance relationship would be a huge mistake at this point.

Becca decided then and there that she would just enjoy her time with her sister and her niece.  There was no ulterior motive for her visit.  She was not here to see Pidge.  

"What do you think Becca?"  Darcy asked, interrupting her thoughts.

"Huh?  About what?"  Becca turned to look at her sister.

"It seems your mind is elsewhere," Lance teased.

"I, uh, I guess I'm more tired than I thought."  She muttered, blushing.

"Oh, of course," Allura put her feet on the floor and pushed herself up.  "I'm so sorry, Becca, we can show you to your room."

"No, Allura, sit down, relax, I can find my way," Becca kicked Darcy's foot to get her attention.

"What? Oh, yeah, yeah, I'll take her."  Darcy stood.

"That's alright, I need to use the bathroom anyway."  Allura led the way out of the rec room.  

"This has been a very busy week," Darcy whispered to her sister.

"What?"

"It's been a busy week for Pidge and the rest of the guys.  This entire castle is run by the computer system and they're updating it."

Allura turned to her, "Pidge is a great guy, he isn't intentionally ignoring you or anything, he's just very busy."

Becca blushed, "I know he's busy, I don't expect him to drop everything because I came to visit.  I'm here to see my sister and niece."

Darcy and Allura exchanged a look of disbelief.  

"And I'm glad you're here," Darcy slung her arm over Becca's shoulders.  "I was thinking that we could take Schuyler into town, do a little shopping."

"That sounds like fun, I will need to pick up some things to take home."

"Then that's what we'll do tomorrow."  Darcy said as they approached the guest room Becca was staying in.

"Good night, Becca, if you need anything, just ask."  Allura told her.

"Thanks, Allura, I appreciate it.  Good night."

Darcy waited until Allura had disappeared around the corner before turning to her sister.  "You okay?"

"Yes, Darcy," Becca sighed.  "I'm fine.  I don't know why you all seem to think that I'm upset or something."

"Well, I just know that you had hoped to see Pidge and I didn't want you to think that he…"  
  


Becca sighed loudly and turned to open her door, "You're being ridiculous.  I'm just tired."

Darcy followed her into her room, "Come on, Bec, you can admit to the fact that you like him.  He's a great guy."

"Why is it so important to you for me to say that I like him?"

"Because I think he likes you too and I think you two would be good together."

"Okay, so I like him, but that doesn't mean anything.  We're friends, just friends.  I'm only here for a couple of months, I just want to have some fun before I have to go back to school."

Darcy watched as her sister went about getting ready for bed.  "Um, well then, I guess I'll see you in the morning."

Becca turned to her with a forced smile, "Thanks for everything, Darc.  Good night."

"Good night," Darcy excused herself and slipped from the room.  


	2. Sisterly Advice

Wow!  Thank you all so much for your wonderful reviews!  RedLion2, Karenvforce, QuikerKookie, and Queen Merla…you guys are awesome!  I didn't expect so much, but I really do appreciate your thoughtful and helpful reviews.  I just hope it lives up to your expectations. 

All relative disclaimers apply.

Enjoy!  
Failte

*************************************************

It was still dark out when Becca woke.  She turned to look at the clock on the bedside table and saw that it was four in the morning.  Looking at her watch, which was still set to Terran time, she saw it was ten in the morning in Toronto.  She shook her head, the time change was going to take some getting used to.          

Taking her time, Becca showered, dressed, and did her hair.  It was nearly five and she was feeling hungry.

"Well, Allura said to make myself at home," she mused as she crossed to the door.  It felt a little odd, the castle was so quiet, everyone at rest.

Paper crinkled under her foot when she stepped through the doorway.  Curious, Becca looked down and smiled.  A piece of paper tied to a flower resembling a Terran daisy lay on the floor just outside the door.  She reached down and picked it up.

            **Becca,**

**Sorry about not seeing you yesterday, things were kind of hectic.  Maybe tonight we can go for a walk, catch up on things.**

**                                                See you around,**

**                                                            Pidge.**

She smiled and carried the flower back into her room, a pleasant flush warming her skin.  He did want to see her.  Maybe he did like her.

With a lighter step, Becca headed down the hall toward the kitchen.  Or where she thought the kitchen was.  After a quick, impromptu tour of the floor, she found the kitchen, a little surprised to see the light on.

"You're up early," Darcy whispered.

"It's nearly eleven back home."  Becca told her.  "Is everything alright?"

Darcy nodded.  She stood beside the sink, wrapped in a robe, cradling Schuyler to her shoulder, gently swaying.  "She woke up hungry.  With all the excitement of you arriving yesterday, her nap and feeding schedules were interrupted."

"Sorry."

Darcy smiled, "It's not your fault, she's fine.  Besides everyone will be up soon anyway."

"They still have practice?"

"Yeah, some, more just to keep them in shape."

"Do you miss it?"

Darcy lowered herself onto one of the chairs at the table, careful to not disturb her daughter.  "Not as much as I thought I would.  I mean I can still fly and I might take up Keith's offer to become a flight instructor.  I don't know, I guess I just have other things to keep me busy for now."

"But you're going to be fine?"

"Yeah, it's taking me a while to build up my strength, but I'll be fine."

"Have you and Lance started looking for your own house yet?"

"We've checked out a few places.  There just isn't much right now since the town and everything in it is so new.  We're thinking of building a place of our own somewhere between the castle and Alforia."

Becca nodded, "That sounds nice.  But I think Mom and Dad are still harboring a hope that you guys will change your minds and move back to Terra."

"That's not going to happen," Darcy sighed. 

"What's not going to happen?"  Lance asked, entering the kitchen.  He was obviously fresh out of the shower, his wet hair brushed back from his face.

"Us moving back to Terra."  Darcy murmured.

Lance bent and kissed her, "Good morning, is everything alright?"  He gently ran his hand over Schuyler's hair.

"Yeah, she was just hungry, but I got her back to sleep."

Lance smiled when his daughter started crying, "That's okay, I'll take her."

Darcy leaned over to Becca, "I swear at night he goes into the nursery and wakes her up just to be able to calm her down."

"That's not true," Lance said, rubbing her back and swaying.  "I can't help it if Sky likes her daddy's attention."

The door slid open and Nanny walked in, "Oh, I see we have a full kitchen this morning."

"Good morning, Nanny," the three of them chimed.

"So," Lance looked at his sister-in-law.  "Your parents sent you here in hopes of talking us into moving back?"

Becca shook her head, "No, we were just talking about your plans to move out of the castle."

He nodded, sipping from his mug, "We're working on it."

"When we go into town, I'll show you the plot of land we're thinking of buying," Darcy said.

"If we _can_ buy it," Lance interjected.  "We have to find out if it's for sale."

"How do waffles sound?"  Nanny asked.

"Wonderful," Lance told her, bouncing Schuyler in his arm.

The door slid open again and Dante wandered in, soon followed by Hunk, then Caleb, and finally Keith and Cady.  Becca sat back and watched as the crew settled in, eating the enormous breakfast Nanny cooked.  There was talking, shouting, laughing, and babies crying.  She was loving it.

"Where's Allura?"  Lance asked.

"She's tired," Keith told him.  "I'll take her something to eat later."

"Isn't Pidge up yet?"  Caleb asked.

"I don't think he got to bed before two again," Hunk said.

Nanny shook her head, "That poor boy, he's working himself too hard."

"He just won't take a break.  But everything should be ready to go by now."  Keith poured some dry cereal on the tray of Cady's highchair.  "I'm hoping he'll take a couple of days off now."

"Everything seemed clear last night.  We sat through the virus scan twice and could find nothing wrong."  Dante spoke up.

The door slid open and everyone looked up to see Pidge stumble in.

"You're allowed to sleep in after such a late night," Keith told him.

"Old habits die hard," he mumbled as he fell into a chair beside Hunk.

Becca looked up and locked eyes with Pidge, he gave her a half-hearted smile, "How was your flight?"

"Fine, long, but fine."  She felt the heat rise to her face and hoped no one noticed.

"That is one hell of a long trip," Dante commented.

"Here, eat," Nanny set a full plate down in front of Pidge.  "You've been working so hard, you need to build up your strength."

"I'm fine, Nanny," he muttered.

"You are all pushing yourselves too hard.  There is no more Doom, no more Lotor, you need to take it easy."  Nanny continued to putter around the kitchen.

Keith and Lance exchanged looks, but kept quiet.  There were times Nanny forgot just what went into running and protecting a planet.  

"Alright, after practice, I want everyone in the conference room for a quick meeting."  Keith started putting a tray together to take to Allura.  "I want to make sure you all understand the new system.  Pidge, can you have all the information and codes ready by then?"

"Yeah, I have them, I just have to make copies."  Pidge poked at his waffle.

Darcy set a cup of coffee down in front of him, "Eat, Pidge, you look like death warmed over."

"Thanks, Mom."

She ruffled his hair, "Don't sass me young man, eat."

"Don't you have your own kid to bug?"

"This is what happens when they have kids," Keith said.  "They turn into everyone's mother."

Darcy sighed dramatically and fell into the chair beside Lance, "I'm just trying to look out for my boys."

"You can look out for me," Lance whispered to her.

"You don't give me much of a choice," she whispered back.

"Like you'd have it any other way," he leaned in and kissed her.

"Come on!  Some of us are trying to eat here!"  Caleb groaned.

In response, Lance cupped the back of Darcy's head and held her in place while he deepened the kiss.

Dante walked past and poured a cup of water over their heads.

Darcy jumped back and pushed her now wet hair out of her face, "Dante!"

"If I had a hose I'd've turned it on you," Dante sat down across from them.  "Get a room."  
  


Becca looked up and locked eyes with Pidge again, this time they were both grinning.

"Alright!  All of you, if you're done eating, get out of my kitchen!"  Nanny stood by the stove, brandishing a wooden spoon.

Keith stood by the door, holding Cady with one arm and balancing a tray with his other, "Be ready for practice in ten minutes guys."

"Here, go see Aunt Becca," Darcy handed Schuyler to her sister.  "I want to get a shower, the shops don't open for a while yet so you can have some special niece/aunt time."

As soon as Schuyler was settled in Becca's arms, she began screaming.

"Here," Lance repositioned his daughter in Becca's arms.  "Thatta girl."  He dropped a kiss on the baby's head.  "Just don't drop her."

"I'll try and keep that in mind," Becca said dryly.

"Want to take a walk to Castle Control?"  Pidge asked her.

"Huh?"  

"I need to make copies of the codes and information for everyone."

"Uh, yeah," Becca shifted Schuyler on her hip and followed him out of the kitchen.

"I, uh, I want to apologize for not being around yesterday," Pidge muttered as they made their way down the hall.

"Oh, don't worry about it, you've been busy, it's alright."  She assured him.

"How was graduation?"

"It was great, I brought pictures of the ceremony and the party."

"I wish I could've been there, but, well, you know."

"Yeah, it's alright.  You can be at my med school graduation."

Pidge stepped aside and let her in Castle Control, "I wouldn't miss it for anything."

"Lieutenant."  Cpl. Cheyen saluted.

"At ease, Corporal, how're things going?"

"Fine, sir."

"We'll be starting practice soon," Pidge told him, walking over to the printer.  "What do you have planned for the day?"  He asked Becca.

"Well, I think Darcy and I are going to go into town, do a little shopping."

Pidge nodded, not lifting his gaze from the printer as he entered in the amount of copies he needed.  "Maybe, uh, maybe we could get together tonight.  Catch up."

"Yeah," Becca smiled down at her niece.  "That would be fun."

Pidge looked up at her and flashed a tired smile, "It's a date then."

Becca smiled back, "You're on."

They both jumped when someone behind them cleared his throat.

"Uh, yes, Koran, what is it?"  Pidge asked.

"I was just wondering how things were going."  The older man asked, tickling Schuyler under her chin.  "I was told the update was completed last night."

"Yes, around one o'clock this morning.  Keith is going to have a meeting after practice to go over everything."

"Good, good, that's one less thing for us to worry about."  Koran said.

Pidge furrowed his brow, "Is there a lot for us to worry about?"

"No, no more than usual."

The door slid open and Hunk, Dante, and Caleb walked in.

"Could you please hold on to these for now?"  Pidge held the copies out to Koran.  "We'll go over everything after practice."  
  


"Yes, Lieutenant."

The door opened again and Lance swept in, making a beeline for his sister-in-law.  "How's my little Sky?"

"She's just fine," Becca said.

Lance lifted his daughter into his arms, "You going to hang around and watch practice?"

"Yeah, I think I will."  Becca told him.

"Good, Sky likes watching the Lions."

"And her favorite is Yellow, isn't it little Sky?"  Hunk tickled her stomach.

Lance snorted, "Hardly.  Can you say 'Yellow Sucks'?  Come on, Sky, I know you can."

"Can we try for a little maturity here," Keith walked in.  "Let's try and show a little team loyalty here Lance."

"I'm plenty loyal to the team, but Sky prefers Red to all the others."

Keith rolled his eyes, "To your Lions, boys."

Lance kissed Schuyler on the cheek and handed her back to Becca, "Watch for Red, Sky, she's the most powerful and best Lion."

When Darcy walked into Castle Control fifteen minutes later, she found Becca and Schuyler standing by the main console with Caleb and Koran.

"They're incredible," Becca said, watching the Lions in formation.

"The most powerful machines in the Universe," Koran said proudly.

"Maybe you can take a ride later," Darcy said.

Schuyler leaned towards her mother and whimpered.

"I've been trying not to take this personally, but I'm beginning to think she doesn't like me."  Becca muttered.

"Oh, she likes you, she just doesn't know you," Darcy lifted the baby into her arms.  "By the time you go back to Terra she'll be crying for you."

**************************************

"So he wants to get together tonight, huh?"  Darcy asked as they walked into town.

"Yeah, it's nothing really, he just said he wanted to catch up on stuff."

"He left you a flower outside your door, Bec, there's more to this than just catching up."

Becca smiled foolishly, "Yeah."

"What are you going to wear?"

"What?"

"It's a date, Rebecca, what are you going to wear?"

"I didn't really bring any date clothes.  I wasn't planning for anything like this."

Darcy laughed, "Who are you trying to fool?  You came here with every intention of impressing Pidge, what did you bring to wear?"

"Am I really that obvious?"  Becca blushed.

"You never were subtle."

"Honestly, Darcy, am I making a total ass out of myself?"

Darcy stopped and turned to face her sister, "No, Bec, you're not.  It's alright to have feelings for Pidge, he's a great guy."

"But what if he doesn't feel the same way?"

Darcy started walking again, pushing the stroller in front of her.  "There is always a chance of that, you won't know unless you talk to him.  But I think he feels something for you."

Becca sighed, exasperated, "Then why did he blow me off last night?"

"I don't think he blew you off.  Pidge is a very focused person, he was so into what he was doing he didn't notice the time."  
  


"How did you get Lance to notice you?"

Darcy threw her head back and laughed, "You are talking about two totally different people, Becs.  Lance is not the least bit shy, he knew what he wanted and he went for it.  He was confident and cocky enough to think that I would melt when he smiled at me."

"And you did."

"No, I blew him off."

Becca stared at her sister, openmouthed, "You what?"

"I shot him down.  I thought he was a self-centered, shallow, cocky flyboy who just wanted to get me into bed."

"What happened?"

"He proved to be a self-centered, shallow, cocky flyboy who just wanted to get me into bed."

"Darcy."

She smiled fondly down at her daughter, "He pursued me, charmed me, wore me down.  I got to know him and I fell madly in love with him.  I had been hurt, Bec, by Jesse McCormick, and I wasn't ready to trust a man again, at least not yet.  Lance was so patient and sweet, he eventually broke through my self-imposed barriers."

Becca groaned, "How do you do it?  How do you get a man to fall madly in love with you?"

"Be yourself, Becs, you are a great person.  Tell you what, we'll see if we can find a store in town that sells self-confidence, we'll stock you up, and send you on your date with Pidge."

"You're hysterical, Darcy.  I ask for some sisterly advice and I get picked on."

"I'm not picking on you, Rebecca, I'm trying to help you.  Just be yourself.  You and Pidge have a great friendship, he likes you for who you are, that's all you need."

Becca nodded.

"That and a short skirt.  You're going to show a little leg tonight."

"Darcy!"  Becca exclaimed incredulously.  "I thought you always said it was what's on the inside that counts."

"That is what counts, but it doesn't hurt if the package looks nice too.  Come with me," Darcy led her sister into a boutique.  "Tonight, we're going to make Pidge forget computers and programs and how to breathe."


	3. It's All In The Timing

"I don't want to look desperate."  
  


"You don't look desperate, Becca, you look cute."  
  


Becca stood in front of the mirror and surveyed herself. She wore a pale green skirt with mauve, blue, and green leaves swirling all over it and a pale green blouse. "What if I'm too dressed up? He just wanted to get together and talk."  
  


Darcy watched her sister from where she lay across the bed. "You look great, Bec, and when you look good, you feel good."  
  


"Wow, that was deep." Becca sat on the edge of the bed.  
  


"I'm actually excited about this," Darcy admitted.  
  


"What?"  
  


"Well, I've known some of your boyfriends in the past and I can honestly say that Pidge is the best one you've had. He's such a great guy. I think you finally found someone worthy of you."  
  


Becca laughed, "Worthy of me? Okay, first of all, he isn't my boyfriend, second of all we're just friends, you make it sound like we're getting married."  
  


"I'm just saying, he's a great guy and you guys would be good together."  
  


"Is this an example of you're so happy and in love that you want everyone to be happy and in love?"  
  


Darcy rolled over onto her stomach, "What's wrong with that?"  
  


"Nothing. I do want what you have, not that I'm in a big hurry, I still have school to finish and all. Do you realize how lucky you are?" Becca sighed and fell back on the bed. "You're done with dating, you have an amazing man and a great life."  
  


"And your lucky days are just around the corner, Becs, don't be so dramatic."  
  


"I had all but given up on men when I met Pidge."  
  


"You met him at a difficult time in his life."  
  


"I know, he told me all about Renata. He thought he was in love with her, but he couldn't be sure since they didn't really have a lot of time to get to know each other."  
  


Darcy nodded slowly, "She was taken very suddenly. Part of his problem is that he blamed himself."  
  


"What?" Becca sat up. "Why would he blame himself?"  
  


"I guess he didn't want to talk about that," Darcy pushed herself up and sat on the edge of the bed. "Pidge was afraid that her death was his fault, it didn't help that Rankin also blamed him. She stayed here because of Pidge and so he thought it was his fault she was dead."  
  


"That's awful! I never knew he felt that way. I knew he cared for her, a lot, and that he was upset, but, I mean, that's awful. Rankin really blamed him?" Becca stood and paced the floor. "What a jerk! It wasn't Pidge's fault! He is such a good person, something like that would just eat away at him. And he didn't want to talk about it, he was carrying all that inside."  
  


"To be fair, Rankin was very upset, he was speaking out of  pain. We have no idea what they had gone through and to lose his sister like that, he wasn't thinking very clearly. Something happened between him and Pidge, though, they somehow worked through it and have somewhat of a friendship now."  
  


Becca looked at her sister, pity etched on her face, "I can't believe he had carried that kind of guilt with him for over a year now."  
  


"They're all like that, Bec, they have a job to do and they won't let their feelings get in the way." Darcy told her.  
  


Becca sank down on the edge of the bed again, "I didn't know. God, I feel so selfish. He has so much going on and all I could think about was that he didn't meet me yesterday."  
  


"You're not selfish. Becca, do you realize everything you did for him? Keith is ready to make you a saint. You were able to bring Pidge out of his depression when no one else could. You've been good for him."  
  


She blushed under her sister's praise, "But I didn't do anything. We just talked."  
  


Darcy stood and stretched, "You did more than you will ever know."  
  


"Where are you going?"  
  


"I didn't think you wanted me along on your date, so I am going to make myself scarce."  Darcy told her, crossing to the door. "Have fun."  
  


"Thanks, Darcy."  
  


"Oh," Darcy turned, her hand on the keypad to unlock the door. "If I can give you one piece of advice, don't let what I told you change you're attitude towards Pidge. Don't pity him or feel sorry for him, he doesn't want that. Most likely, he didn't tell you all of this because he liked the fact that he could talk to you about other things. It wouldn't be a constant reminder of what he was feeling, no matter how misguided his feelings were. Just be yourself, have fun."  
  


Becca smiled weakly and nodded.

Darcy made her way down the hall toward her and Lance's room.  She knew she was lucky and she would happily admit to anyone.  Lance was the greatest thing that had ever happened to her and she loved and appreciated him for who he was and what he did for her.  She walked into their room, the door sliding shut behind her.  Kicking her shoes off as she crossed the room, Darcy noticed the door to Schuyler's nursery wide open.

The first thing she saw were toys.  Everywhere.  As she took in the mess before her, Darcy mentally reminded herself how lucky she was to have him in her life.  She stopped short when she saw, in the middle of all the mess, was Lance, sprawled on his stomach facing Schuyler who was lying on her stomach.  Darcy crept over and kneeled down beside them.

"What are you doing?"  She whispered.

At the sound of her mother's voice, Schuyler lifted her gaze and smiled.

"Thank you," Lance looked up and smiled at her.  "Your interruption allowed me to win the staring contest."

"You were having a staring contest with a five month old baby?"  
  


"We were doing best three out of five," Lance rolled over onto his back.

"You were tied?"

"Hey, she's good."

"Or you just suck."

Lance reached out, grabbed Darcy's arm, pulling her down on him, "That's not very nice."

"I'm sorry," Darcy looked down at him.  "Can I make it up to you?"

He sighed dramatically and threw his head back, "Well, you can try.  But it will take a lot."

Smiling, Darcy lowered her head, gently kissing and nibbling his throat.  She ran her hands up under his shirt, caressing his sides, feeling him shift underneath her.

"Okay, you're forgiven and you're going to want to stop doing that," Lance warned.

"And if I don't?" She breathed into his ear.  
  
"You'll scar the kid."  
  
Darcy lifted her head and looked at their daughter. She still lay on her stomach near them, smiling and wiggling for attention. Her mouth was open and she was making little panting noises.  
  
"I think she's laughing at us," Darcy muttered.  
  
"Well it is pretty disturbing, your parents making out right in front of you." He brought his arms up around her, holding her against him.  
  
"Who's going to clean up this mess?" She asked, laying her head on his chest.  
  
"Schuyler."  
  
Darcy closed her eyes and smiled, "Oh really?"  
  
"Hey, she made the mess, she can clean it up. It's never too early to start teaching her responsibility for her actions."  
  
"And you are just the one to teach her, huh?"  
  
Lance lifted his head and kissed the top of her head, "How's Becca?"  
  
"Nervous."  
  
"Really?"

"Yeah, you'd think she was getting ready for the prom."  
  
He chuckled.  
  
"It's kind of cute, actually."  
  
Lance stroked her back lazily, feeling her relax against him. "I talked to the town commissioner today to see who owns that plot of land."  
  
Darcy lifted her head and looked down at him, "Who is it?"  
  
"It's still part of the castle grounds."  
  
"Really? Have you talked to Allura?"  
  
"Not yet. I know she would give it to us in a heartbeat, but I don't know if she can. This is ancient land, having belonged to the royal family for centuries, I don't think it would be right for her to just chop it off and sell it to us."  
  
Darcy nodded, "That's alright, there are plenty of great plots all over this planet."  
  
"I know, I just really wanted that one."  
  
She smiled down at him, stroking his cheek, knowing he was disappointed. It was a great piece of land. A slight hill, trees all around it and a creek that ran along the back perimeter, when you looked east you saw the Castle of Lions, west was Alforia, and north were the woods. "You don't always get what you want."  
  
He tightened his arms around her, "I do."  
  
Darcy watched as his eyes darkened and he shifted beneath her again, "I thought you didn't want to warp the kid."  
  
"I'll put her to bed and meet you next door."  
  
"Lance, we haven't even had dinner yet."  
  
"I don't know about you, but I'm not hungry…Dammit!" He rolled Darcy off him and jumped to his feet. "Stay here, I'll go see what's going on."  
  
Darcy sat up and gently lifted her daughter off the floor, cradling the baby to her shoulder, trying to calm her frightened cries.  
  


*****************************************************************  
  


Becca tugged at her skirt, smoothing out the imaginary wrinkles. As nervous as she was, she also felt rather silly. This was just Pidge after all, her friend. There was no reason for her to feel this nervous. No, there was plenty of reason for her to feel this nervous. What if he didn't feel the same way? What if she made a total ass out of herself and ruined their friendship?  
  
She jumped when she heard a quiet knock on the door. Taking a deep breath, Becca crossed the room and opened it. Pidge stood on the other side looking down at his shoes. She smiled when she saw him. He looked incredibly handsome, wearing khaki slacks and a green collared shirt.  
  
When the door opened, he looked up and flashed her a smile, "Hi."  
  
"Hi." Blushing slightly, Becca stepped back and let him into her room. She couldn't help but notice the way his eyes traveled from her face to her feet and then back up again.  
  
"You, uh, you look great, Bec." Pidge felt his tongue grow heavy in his mouth as he tried to form the words. _ Come on, this is Becca, there is no reason for you to be this nervous, he thought to himself as he entered the room. He could smell her in the room, the light vanilla fragrance she wore and it made him weak in the knees. _Quick, come up with something to say before she thinks you're a total idiot_. "So, uh, you guys made it into town alright today?"  
  
"Yeah, it was great. It's a beautiful town. Darcy told me how you set up the entire computer system at the University."  
  
He shrugged, "Well, I helped. That school was downright antiquated. But then they haven't had much chance to study for a while."  
  
"It amazes me what all you guys have done for this planet."  
  
"We were just doing our job."  
  
Becca smiled, "Well then you guys are really good at your job."  
  
Nervously, Pidge thrust his hands in his pockets, his right hand bumping into a small box. "Oh, I, uh, I have something for you."  
  
"For me?" Becca couldn't help but feel pleased.  
  
"Yeah, a, uh, a graduation present." Pidge held out the small box.  
  
It was wrapped in gold paper and had a silver bow tied around it. With shaking hands, Becca tugged at the ribbon. "You didn't have to get me anything. I mean, don't get me wrong, I love presents, I'm not too proud to admit that. I probably shouldn't have said that, it makes me sound greedy, I'm not greedy, I just love presents. Giving them, receiving them."  
  
Pidge raised an eyebrow and watched anxiously as she unwrapped the present. She was babbling. He remembered how Lance had said Darcy did that when she was nervous. Was she as nervous as he was? No. Not Becca. He had never known anyone so laidback and confident.  
  
"Oh! Oh, Pidge," Becca looked up at him, her lower lip trembling. "It's beautiful." Nestled on the cotton was a small caduceus intricately carved in silver with gold accents on a delicate silver chain.  
  
"I, uh, I saw it and I thought of you." He mumbled.  
  
"I don't know what to say," she whispered, lifting it out of the box. "I love it. Thank you."  
  
Pidge raised his gaze to hers and felt himself move closer to her, "I'm glad you like it."  
  
Becca fumbled with the clasp, trying unsuccessfully to undo it.  
  
"Here, let me."  
  
She watched as he took the necklace and opened the clasp. He had the long slender fingers of an artist and they moved competently and smoothly. Becca found herself rooted to the spot as he stepped closer. The voice in the back of her head was telling her to turn around so he could fasten it around her neck, but she couldn't move.   
  
Pidge continued to stare directly into her eyes as he moved closer. She didn't move. At a loss as to what else he could possibly do, he brought his hands up around her and tried to fasten the clasp. His fingers fumbled, he couldn't see what he was doing. His hands brushed the back of her neck and his fingers tangled in her hair. He could feel her shaking.   
  
Becca closed her eyes. Her heart raced as he had his arms around her neck. She could feel the heat coming off his body and the slight tremor that passed through him. Every time his fingers brushed the back of her neck as he tried to close the clasp, a chill ran down her spine and her stomach flipped over. All of a sudden she felt the weight of the necklace drop against her breastbone. Opening her eyes, she saw him staring intently at her. The necklace was securely fastened, but he still had his arms on her shoulders and his hands behind her neck.  
  
Pidge didn't know where he suddenly developed his nerve. Maybe it was while he was watching her as he fastened the clasp. Her cheeks turned a dark pink and she closed her eyes, her mouth opening just slightly. Unconsciously, his thumb stroked the back of her neck and he felt the shiver that ran through her. Very slowly, her eyes opened and she looked up at him through her lashes. He had never seen anyone so beautiful.  
  
Her arms moved of their own accord as Becca brought them up around him and they both moved closer. It all seemed to be happening in slow motion. She felt rather than saw him leaning his head down towards hers. His breath was warm against her mouth and Becca leaned closer in anticipation.  
  
They jumped apart. Startled by the sound of the castle alarms.  
  
Becca looked up at him, shock and a little disappointment in her eyes.  
  
"I'm sorry, I have to…I have to go…" Pidge backed toward the door, never taking his eyes off hers.  
  
"I know, it's okay."  
  
She watched as he turned and ran down the corridor._


	4. System Errors and Embarrassing Situtatio...

Hi All!

All relative disclaimers apply, etc…

Thank you for your wonderful reviews…you guys are awesome!

Enjoy,

Failte

**********************************************************

Becca paced her room.  What was going on?  Were they under attack?  Should she stay in her room?  If she was in any danger, Pidge would have told her what to do.  In the end, she decided to go find her sister.

Darcy was in the nursery rocking Schuyler.  Her tears had subsided and she had cried herself tired.  With her baby cradled in her arms, Darcy waited for word from Lance.  She couldn't hear any sounds of attack.  It was hard for her to fight back the urge to run to Castle Control and join the battle.  She stopped rocking when there was a knock on the door.  

"Darcy?  Are you in there?"

She slowly rose to her feet, cradling Schuyler to her shoulder, and crossed to open the door, "Hey, Becs, you okay?"

"Yeah, I was just wondering what was going on."

"So was I.  Let's go see what we can find out."  Darcy started down the hall.  "This came at a bad time, didn't it?"

"You have no idea," Becca sighed.  "He gave me a present."

"What?"

Becca turned and showed her sister the necklace.

"That's beautiful."  Darcy told her.

"I know, isn't it?  He said it was a graduation present."  
  


Darcy snorted, "He has it bad."

Becca didn't answer.  

Darcy smiled to herself, but kept her mouth shut.  

Things were suspiciously quiet in Castle Control.  Keith and Koran stood beside the main monitor, Allura sat in the chair beside them.  Hunk was talking to a couple of guards, Pidge sat at a computer screen typing furiously and Lance stood over him watching his progress.

"What's going on?"  Darcy approached her husband.

"We're not sure."

"You don't know what triggered the alarms?"

Lance looked at her and shrugged, "No one has entered Arusian airspace, we see no signs of anyone breeching the castle.  We've sent the guards to do a full sweep of the castle and sent two Air Brigade ships up to scan the sky."

The door slid open and Dante entered with half a dozen guards and walked straight over to Keith, "We couldn't find anything out of the ordinary, Cap."  
  


"We're waiting to hear from Caleb and his men."  Keith told him.

"Shit!" 

Everyone turned to Pidge, shocked at his outburst.

"What is it?"  Lance asked him.

"System malfunction."

"What?"  Keith walked quickly over to the computer.

"It was caused by a system malfunction.  But we've been running continuous scans, this is a relatively simple bug, the scans should have picked up on it."

"Can you fix it?"  Keith asked.

Pidge sighed, "Yeah, I have to uninstall a couple of programs and reinstall clean versions."

"How long will that take?"  
  


"I don't know, Cap, not too long."

"Alright," Keith turned to the others in the room.  "Koran call Caleb and his men back.  It looks like it was a malfunction."

Caleb and another six guards returned to Castle Control with nothing to report.  None of the guards on duty had seen anything and neither of the Air Brigade ships had found anything.

"What now, Keith?"  Lance asked.

Keith rubbed the back of his neck and looked down at Allura.  She gave him a weak smile.  "I guess we're clear," Keith said.  "If Pidge says it was a system error and we haven't found anything, then there's nothing to do."

Becca stood beside Pidge and watched as his fingers flew across the keyboard.  He was so focused, unaware of anyone around him.  Lifting his head, Pidge called to a guard standing nearby, "Corporal, I need the disks we've been using, they should be locked in the bottom cabinet by the radar."

  
The young man brought his hand up in a salute and turned on his heel.

Pidge suddenly realized someone else was standing beside him, "Oh, Becca, I'm sorry, I really am.  But, I have to…"

She smiled at him, "Its okay, Pidge, I know how important this is."

He looked relieved, "Thank you, Bec.  I'll make this up to you, I promise."

"I'm going to hold you to that," she whispered.

His gaze locked with hers.  Becca noticed his eyes weren't completely brown, there were flecks of gold and a ring of green around his iris.  The intensity of his gaze sent a thrill through her.

"Wow, Becca, you look great!"

Pidge cleared his throat and turned back to the computer.  

Becca looked up at Dante who had come to stand beside her.  "Uh, thanks Dante."  
  
"Big plans for the night?"  He asked.

Her heart sank, "Uh, no."  She heard Pidge sigh.

"Well, if you're free, Caleb, Hunk, Paton and I are going into town.  Want to check out the Arusian nightlife?"

She looked quickly at Pidge and then back up to Dante, "Thanks, but I don't think so."  
  
"You sure?"  Dante sounded a little disappointed.

"Go ahead, Becca, it'll be fun."  Pidge said, not looking up from the screen in front of him.

"You want to go?"  Lance whispered to Darcy.  "I bet we could get Nanny to babysit."

Darcy chewed on her lower lip as she thought about it.  They hadn't really gone out since Schuyler had been born and she missed it.  "Well, if Nanny doesn't mind."

"You know she won't."

She smiled at him, "Alright, let's go."  
  
"Come on, Bec," Dante said.

"Oh, alright.  I guess it'll be fun, checking out Arus' clubs."

"Great.  We're leaving in like ten minutes."

She nodded and watched him leave Castle Control.  Becca laid a gentle hand on Pidge's shoulder, "I wish you could come."

"If I finish up here, I might be able to meet you."  He muttered, loading a disk into the drive.

"I hope you can."  She squeezed his shoulder before leaving.

***************************************************************

The sun was just starting to set as the group made their way out of the castle.  Since it was such a nice night, they had decided to walk, but about half way there, Becca was cursing the shoes she was wearing.  Yeah, they looked nice, but they weren't made for walking two miles.

Hunk and Paton led the way, holding hands and talking quietly to each other.  Caleb, Dante, and Becca came next, talking and laughing.  And bringing up the rear was Darcy and Lance.  She had both arms wrapped around his right arm and her head on his shoulder.  They lagged behind, not really talking, just enjoying their time together.

"Is there anything special you want to do while you're on Arus?"  Dante asked Becca.

Caleb snorted, "Oh, I bet there is."  
  
Becca blushed furiously at his innuendo.  "Um, well, I'd like to see the planet, get some pictures.  It really is beautiful here.  More than anything I just miss my sister and want to spend time with her and Schuyler.  I have no set plans, but I'm open to anything."

"The best way to see the planet is from the cockpit of one of the Lions."  
  
"So I've heard."  
  
"Maybe I can take you for a flight sometime."  Dante whispered.

Becca looked up at him, surprised, "Uh, okay, thanks."

"It's amazing.  The Lions are the most powerful machines you'll ever fly in and the scenery is incredible."

"Yeah, I was watching practice this morning, it was awesome."  
  


"Watching it is nothing compared to being in it.  Didn't you want to be a pilot?"

Becca shook her head, "Nah, that was Darcy's thing.  I always wanted to be a doctor.  Well, that's not entirely true.  At one point, I wanted to be a garbage man."

Dante laughed, "A garbage man?"

"Yeah, they get to ride around on those big trucks and can you imagine all the cool things people throw away.  You can tell a lot about people from their trash."  
  
"From their apple cores and coffee grounds?"

"People throw out things besides food.  And anyway, I was five at the time.  Did you always want to be a pilot?"  
  


Dante shook his head, "No, at one time I wanted to be a garbalologist.  You know, the people who study society and people by going through their trash."

Becca laughed, "Now you're just making fun of me."  
  
"Who me?"  He asked in mock surprise.  "Never."

"Are you seeing that?"  Darcy whispered to Lance.

  
"What?"  He whispered back.

"Dante is hitting on Becca."

  
"They're just talking, Darc."

"I can't believe he's doing that!  Everyone knows there is something between her and Pidge."

"Darcy, don't start jumping to conclusions," Lance warned.

"Don't guys have the 'hands-off' rule?  When one of your friends likes someone, you do not try to steal them away."

"He's just being nice, babe, he's not honing in on Pidge's territory.  Pidge is busy and Dante is just trying to take her mind off of that."

"Huh, well, that better be all it is," Darcy grumbled.

"Becca can take care of herself and Dante would never do that to Pidge.  Relax."  He removed his arm from her grasp and wrapped it around her shoulders.  "Don't worry about it, we're going to have fun tonight."

"Are you going to make me dance?"

"Yes."

She sighed, "No fast numbers."

They approached Salina's club and found it to be rather crowded for a week night.  About half the tables were filled and couples were dancing to a local band who were set up opposite the bar. 

They made their way to the back where there was an empty corner booth.  Drinks and appetizers were ordered, everyone picking at the food, talking and laughing.  Becca found herself relaxing, but she couldn't help but look up every time the door opened, hoping it was Pidge.  But he didn't come.

"As soon as he's done, he'll come down," Darcy whispered to her.

"I know."

"So, what were you and Dante talking about?"  Darcy asked quietly.

Becca shrugged, "Nothing really, we were just talking."

Lance slid his arm around Darcy's shoulders, pulling her close, and whispered into her ear, "Don't start."

"Come on," Hunk slid out of the booth and offered Paton his hand.  "Let's dance."

Lance tugged at Darcy's hand.

"No, no fast numbers."

"Fine," he sighed.  "Come on Becca, I bet you dance."

"I love to."  She slid out of the booth with him and turned back to her sister.  "You really need to learn to dance, Darc."

Darcy stuck her tongue out in response.  Becca pulled her hair which earned her a slap on the hand.

  
"Girls," Lance interrupted.  "Do I have to separate you two?"

"She's the one being an immature brat," Becca teased.

Darcy dismissed her with a wave of her hand, "Be gone with you, knave.  Go dance with my husband."

"Your sister is something else," Dante commented.

"Yeah she is," Darcy agreed.  "I know Pidge thinks so."

Dante laughed, "I'm not after her, Darc, I just think she's a nice girl.  If Pidge is too busy to show her around then that responsibility falls to the rest of us."

She narrowed her eyes, trying to decide if he was serious or not, "As long as that's all you're doing."

"Don't worry, I'm not going to trespass on my pal's territory.  He better, however, get a move on things."

"What?"  
  


"Come on, Darcy, it's obvious she likes him, but he's not doing anything about it."

Darcy looked out on the dance floor.  Lance had Becca's hand and twirled her out and then back towards him.  They were having a good time, but when the door opened, Becca automatically turned her head to see who entered.  

"He's just being cautious."  Caleb spoke up.

"When someone flies over twenty-eight hours to visit you, you don't act cautious.  You sweep them off their feet."  Dante said.

"She's only been here two days, give them some time."

"If the computer system wasn't being such a hassle," Darcy added.  "I'm sure he would've made his move."

"What move?  Come on, this is Pidge we're talking about.  The boy doesn't have game."  Dante muttered.

"Stop that, he's a great guy.  Any girl would love to have him pay attention to her."

The music changed and Darcy looked up when someone tapped her on the shoulder.

"Hey there, beautiful, wanna dance?"

"Well, I don't know, I'm a married woman."  She answered, coyly.

"Oh yeah, I don't see your husband anywhere."

Dante rolled his eyes, "For Pete's sake, you guys are pathetic."

"Jealousy is not an attractive trait," Darcy teased as she took the hand Lance offered her.  "You need to get yourself a woman."

Becca slid back into the booth, her cheeks pink from dancing and a grin splitting her face.  "Man!  Can Lance dance!"

Dante grinned at her, "So, Becca, do you drink?"

"What do you have in mind?"  She asked, slyly.

"No, Becca, don't," Caleb cautioned.

"Come on, just a couple of shots."  Dante challenged.

******************************************************

Pidge watched as the program finished loading.  He was done, finally.  Stretching his arms above his head, he stood and tried to work the kinks out of his back.  He looked at his watch and sighed, it was after midnight.  _I wonder if they're back yet or if they decided to stay and close the club._

"I'm done here," he told the guard on duty.  "We shouldn't have any problems tonight, but if you notice anything I have my communicator, contact me immediately."

"Yes, sir," the young woman saluted him.

Walking from Castle Control, Pidge rolled his shoulders and pulled out his communicator.  Keith had asked him to contact him as soon as he was done.

"Whitaker."  Keith whispered, hoping Allura didn't wake.

"Hey Cap, just wanted to let you know I finished with the computer."

"Everything alright?"

"Yeah," Pidge rubbed the back of his neck.  "It should be fine now.  I'm really sorry about that, Keith, I don't know how the program became infected.  The virus scan should have caught and quarantined it."

"Don't worry about it Pidge, I'm just glad you were able to find and fix it."

Pidge nodded, "Goodnight, man."

"Goodnight, Pidge."

Pidge stopped by the rec room and found it empty.  As was the observation deck.  He went back to Castle Control to talk to the guard on duty.

"They called for a car about ten minutes ago, sir, they're on their way home."  The Private on duty told him.  "Apparently a couple of them are drunk."

"Who?"

"I'm not sure, but Lt. Collier sounded kind of amused."

"I'm sure he did.  It's probably Dante and Caleb."

A beeping on the monitor grabbed both their attentions.

"It looks like they're back.  I'm going to go greet them."  Pidge said.

The guard nodded and flipped the switch allowing them entrance into the castle garage.

Pidge made his way down to the garage and watched as the black car maneuvered its way in to the large garage.  The front passenger side door opened and Caleb climbed out looking and acting quite sober.  The back door opened and Lance got out, offered his hand to Darcy and helped her out.  

"Come on, Rebecca," Darcy said tiredly.

Pidge heard her giggling.  His mouth fell open as he watched her stumble out of the car.  If Lance hadn't caught her, Becca would have been face down on the floor.

"Oh my gosh!  Lance I almost falled!"  Becca gasped and then burst into giggles.  "Darcy I said falled, that is the wrong word!"

"It's not even a word," Darcy told her, taking her arm.

Lance stuck his head in the door, "Can you stand Dante?"

_She and Dante got drunk!_  Pidge watched the scene in front of him.  Darcy was holding Becca up while Lance helped Dante out of the car.  He felt a twinge of anger and jealousy.  Dante was quite a flirt.  He would have given Lance a run for his money back at the Academy.  Pidge watched as Becca laughed and fell against Dante and they both fell back against the car.

"Come on, Rebecca, let's get you to bed."  Darcy pulled her to her feet.

"How come you're mad at me Darcy?"  Becca stuck out her lower lip.

"I'm not mad."  
  


"Yes you are.  You only call me by my full first name when you're mad.  Just like Mom."

Darcy smiled, "Sorry, Weby."

"No, don't call me that!  Call me Becca!"

"Weby?"  Dante burst out laughing.

"When she was born, I couldn't say Rebecca, so I called her Weby, it stuck for quite a few years."  Darcy explained.

"I always hated that name," Becca whined.

"I know.  Come on, I'll tuck you in."

Becca sighed loudly, she leaned on Darcy and whispered, "I miss Pidge."

"You can see him in the morning," Darcy assured her.

"Or you can see him right now," Lance whispered.

Becca looked at him, "What you mean?"

Instead of answering her, Lance looked up at his teammate.  "Hey Pidge, how're things going?"

  
"Good.  I just finished fixing the computer problem, we should be clear now.  Where's Hunk?"

"He walked Paton home," Lance told him.

Pidge watched as Becca tried to stand upright but kept swaying.  "You look like you had fun."

  
"How come you didn't come?"  She mumbled.

"I just finished.  What did you drink?"

"It looked like tequila and tasted like tequila but it wasn't tequila."  She told him.

Lance laughed, "It _was_ tequila."

Becca's eyes widened, "But Dante said it was some kinda Arusian thingy."

Dante sniggered.

"He lied to you, kiddo," Lance smiled.

"You liar!"  Becca turned to Dante and pushed him.  He lost his balance and grabbed her arms to keep from falling.  It didn't work, they fell to the ground in a drunken tumble.

  
Pidge clenched his teeth as he watched the two of them roll on the ground, laughing.

"That hurt!"  Becca cried rubbing the back of her head.

"Come on Rebecca, we need to get you to bed.  You're going to feel pretty crappy tomorrow morning."  Darcy took her sister's hands and pulled her to her feet.

"I think I have a bump."  Becca continued rubbing her head.

"You don't have a bump."  
  
"How do you know?"

Darcy ran her hand over Becca's scalp, "Nope, no bump.  Let's get you to bed before you make a bigger ass out of yourself."

Becca looked horrified, "Am I making an ass out of myself?"

"No more so than any other drunk," Lance said as he hoisted Dante to his feet.

"But I don't drink.  Well, not very often.  Well, maybe a little."  

Darcy put her arm around Becca's waist and steered her towards the door.

Becca stopped beside Pidge and whispered, "I don't mean to make an ass out of myself."

He smiled at her, "I know."

"I really like my necklace."  
  


"I'm glad."

Without warning Becca let go of her sister and threw her arms around Pidge's neck.  Before he could say anything, she pressed her lips to his in a hard, drunken kiss.

Pidge knew he should push her away, but his more primal instinct had him wrapping his arms around her.  She pressed against him, she was very warm and he could taste the alcohol on her.

Lance cleared his throat loudly.

Suddenly remembering there were other people in the room, Pidge pulled back.

Becca kept her arms around his neck and her eyes closed, "Mm, that was nice."

Pidge turned a deep red from the tips of his ears to his neck.

Taking pity on his comrade, Lance took Becca by the shoulders, "Come on, kid, let's get you to bed."

"Can Pidge come?"

Since it was impossible for him to be any more embarrassed, Pidge covered his face with his hand.

  
"Forgive her, Pidge, she isn't herself."  Darcy whispered.

  
"I know."

"She probably won't remember this in the morning, but when I remind her she's going to be really embarrassed."

"You, uh, you don't have to remind her," he mumbled.

Darcy grinned at him, "No, I think I do."


	5. Hangovers and Jealousy

Hi~

Thank you for your reviews!  RedLion2…I will take your request into consideration, but this story has just started and I am not going to hint as to what is going to happen…you'll just have to stay tuned ;-)  But at least this chapter starts to hint at who the villain is…

Enjoy,

Failte

**************************************************

Becca tried to ignore the pounding in her head and the heavy cottony feeling in her mouth, but they were not to be ignored.  She ached all over and prayed for some kind of release.  If only she could fall back to sleep, you don't feel pain in your sleep.

_What did I do last night?_ She wondered.  They had gone into town and went to some club.  She had danced with Lance, did some shots with Dante, danced with Dante, did some more shots, danced with Dante some more, then it got hazy after that.  Becca groaned, grabbed the pillow beside her and laid it over her head, blocking out the sunlight filtering through the window.

She pretended to not hear the loud, insistent knock on the door.  It was Darcy, she was positive of that, and she was coming to make her life more miserable.  The door slid open.

"Good morning sunshine!"  Darcy declared, walking into the room.

"Go away," Becca mumbled into the pillow.

"No," Darcy flopped on the bed and Becca fought the wave of nausea that rose within her.  "You've slept in long enough."

She looked at the bedside clock, "It's eight."

"I've been up for almost three hours."

"Just let me die in peace."

"You're not going to die.  I brought coffee and aspirin."

Becca slowly lowered the pillow and looked at her with one eye open, "You're being nice to me?"

"Yup."

"Why?"

"Because you're my sister and I love you."

"No, seriously, why?  What did I do last night?"

Darcy smiled at her, "You don't remember, do you?"

Becca groaned, "I don't want to know, do I?"

"I don't know, do you?"

_Whatever I imagine has to be much worse than what actually happened_, Becca thought.  "What did I do?"

"Well, you and Dante got totally wasted and made complete asses out of yourselves."  
  


"Did Pidge come down to the club?"  Becca whispered.

"No, Bec, you didn't see him until we got back."

"Oh."

"And you threw yourself at him."

Becca sat up, too quickly.  She grabbed her head and moaned in pain.  "Damn, damn, damn.  I did _what?"_

"You thanked him for the necklace, then you threw your arms around him and kissed him."

"On the mouth?"

"Yup, I think there was some tongue."

"Oh God," Becca moaned and leaned forward, still gripping her head.

"In the garage in front of everyone."

"Please tell me you're kidding."

"Sorry."

Becca looked up at her with wide, bloodshot eyes.  "I just totally blew it, didn't I?  Oh, why did I drink?  I'll never do it again."

"Don't make promises you can't keep.  And no, I don't think you blew it."

"He probably thinks I'm some kind of loser drunk.  I am not one of those women who becomes…loose when she drinks."  
  


"I know that Becca."

"But does he?"  She hid her face in her hands.

Feeling sorry for her sister, Darcy patted her arm, "He kissed you back."

Becca slowly lifted her head, "Really?"

"Yeah, really."  Darcy watched as her sister seemed to think that over.

"I wish I could remember it."

Darcy laughed, "If it makes you feel better, I don't think it's something he will ever forget."

Becca groaned again, "I can never face him again."  
  


"So, what are you going to do?  You're going to hide in here for the next two months?"

"That sounds good to me."

Darcy stood up, "Get up, get dressed and come to the kitchen.  I'll make you some eggs."

The thought of food made Becca's stomach turn uncomfortably.

Lance looked up when he heard the door slide open and Darcy walked into the kitchen.  "How's Becca?"

"She's in pretty bad shape," Darcy sat beside him and took Schuyler from him so he could finish his breakfast.

"Does she remember anything from last night?"  Caleb asked.

Darcy shook her head, "Nope, but I reminded her."

"What happened?"  Allura sat at the head of the table, alternately feeding Cady and eating her own food.

Lance filled her in on their night out and what had happened with Becca.

"You know, we haven't seen Pidge this morning," Caleb commented.

Pidge was sitting in Castle Control scanning the computer log from the day before.  He had sent Cpl. Cheyen to retrieve the logs from the previous week.  

Sleep did not come easily for Pidge that night.  He kept feeling Becca pressed against him, tasting her on his mouth.  He felt bad about not pushing her away, she had been drunk, he had no right to take advantage of the situation.  

Since he was having so much trouble getting his mind off her, Pidge tried a different tactic and he started going over reasons why they were having so many problems with the new system.  It was a relatively simple, yet effective system that came with every virus scan and firewall to protect against the little annoyances that seemed to be plaguing them now.  He drifted off to sleep, waking suddenly at five o'clock, a frightening thought ripping him from sleep.  He hoped he was wrong, but if he wasn't, they could be in danger.

Pidge had been in Castle Control for three hours, scanning the logs of who had signed on and what they had done.  When he found what he was looking for, he jumped to his feet and pulled out his communicator.

"Whitaker."

"Hey, Captain, where are you?  We need to talk."  Pidge said.

"I'm in my study, what is it?"

"I just found something you need to see."

"Alright, I'll be waiting for you."

***************************************************************

Becca poured the aspirin and coffee down her throat.  She waited a few moments to see if they took effect before dragging herself out of bed.   Her head pounded and her stomach churned.  _Well, if I have to face these people, I may as well do it with as much dignity as I can muster_, she thought to herself as she stumbled into the bathroom.

Twenty minutes later she emerged feeling somewhat better.  Dressed in khaki shorts and a blue sleeveless blouse, she pulled her hair back into a ponytail and tried to cover the circles under her eyes with makeup.  Taking a deep breath, she smoothed her blouse and left the sanctuary of her room.

Luckily she only passed two guards and a maid as she walked to the kitchen.   She took a deep breath and walked in.  Pidge was no where to be found.

"Hey there, how're you feeling?"  Lance grinned up at her.

"I think you know the answer to that," Becca fell into the chair beside Darcy and snatched a piece of toast off her plate.

"I tried to warn you," Caleb said.  "Dante is a hardcore partier."  
  


"Where is he?"  Becca asked, looking around.

"We haven't seen him yet."

"Are you serious?"

"We have Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday mornings off from practice."  Lance told her.

"Is he alright?" 

"I'm sure he'll be fine."  Lance unclipped his communicator from his belt as it beeped, "Yeah, Collier."

"Lance, we're having a meeting in the conference room, I want you, Darcy, Allura, Dante, Caleb, and Hunk there immediately."  Keith said.

"What is it?  Is everything alright?"

"We'll tell you when you get her.  Move it, Lieutenant."

Lance snapped his communicator shut, "Alright, Caleb, go get Dante up, I'll find Hunk."

"How're you feeling?"  Darcy asked Becca.  
  


"I'm alright."  
  


"Good, you're on aunt duty."  Darcy placed Schuyler in Becca's arms.

"Wait…what…"

"Take her outside, she loves the flowers in the garden."

Allura pushed herself up, "I'm going to take Cady to the nursery, tell Keith I'll be right there."

And then Becca was alone with Schyuler.  She looked down at her little niece and smiled.  She wore a little red outfit with a lion embroidered on the front.  A pacifier hung from a yellow ribbon attached to the front of her clothes as she sucked on her tiny fist.

"You wanna go outside little girl?"

Schuyler blinked in response.

************************************************

"This is bad," Keith sat in the chair at the head of the table.

"Are you sure about this?"  Allura rubbed her hand nervously over her stomach.

Pidge nodded, "The system malfunctions that have been happening, the loss of power, the locks jamming, the alarms going off, are all problems that the scans should have picked up on and fixed automatically.  If you look at the logs you see where an unidentified user signed on and disabled a part of the system."

"But who is it?"  Lance asked.

"That's just it, whoever is doing would have to be someone with knowledge of computers as well as access to our computers."

"An inside job."  Keith said.

"Why?  What are they hoping to accomplish?"  Dante mumbled.

"I don't really know, but it's frightening.  They have already shown that they can disable the locks on any room, cut off the electricity, and if they can set off the alarms they can probably disable them."  Pidge tossed the computer logs onto the large conference table and fell back into his chair.

They sat in silence a moment, going over what they had just heard.

"Who, uh, who do you think it might be?"  Hunk asked.

"I gathered you all here because I don't think it's any of you," Keith said, looking around the table.  He saw his team, the people he would trust with his life and that of his family.  "I don't want this to leave this room.  We don't know who we can trust.  Lance and I are going to lead the investigation."  
  
Pidge opened his mouth to protest, but was stopped when Keith held up his hand.

  
"Pidge, you have been working ridiculous hours.  I want you to back off a little, catch up on your rest.  I need you clear minded and rested, we are going to need your expertise with the computer system."

Pidge nodded.

"Alright, I want you all to keep your eyes open.  If you see anything suspicious, tell me or Lance right away.  We're going to work on a plan of attack.  I want all of you to stay on castle grounds, we will be meeting again as soon as we've worked out a plan.  You're dismissed."  Keith helped Allura to her feet.  "I want you to stay nearby, at least to me or one of the other members of the Force."

Her eyes widened, "I will not be a prisoner in my own home."  

"Allura, we don't know what's going on."

"So far, Keith, this has all been relatively harmless."

"Nobody who can have this much control over the castle can be considered harmless."  
  


She sighed, "Alright."

Pidge rubbed the back of his neck as he left the conference room.  His lack of sleep was catching up to him.  After pouring a mug of coffee, he made his way to the observation deck.  It was a beautiful day outside, not a cloud in the sky and a slight breeze ruffling the tree tops.  He stood in front of the massive windows and looked unseeingly over the Arusian countryside, trying to think of who it could possibly be.  Who was doing this?  Who knew enough to do this?  There were dozens of guards with access to the computers.

His eyes swept over the land.  He watched some small animal as it raced across the meadow.  Then he saw her.  She was sitting Indian style on the grass, cradling Schuyler in her arms, tickling the baby's nose with the head of a small, poofy flower.  She threw her head back and laughed when the little girl wrinkled her nose and opened her mouth in a toothless grin.  Pidge's breath caught.  With the late morning sun shining on them, she looked so natural and beautiful.  She turned suddenly and looked towards the castle, almost as though she sensed he was watching her.  She shielded her eyes and continued looking toward the castle.  

Pidge's lip curled up in a snarl when he saw Dante walking towards her from the castle.  He crouched down beside them, tickling Schuyler's chin and saying something to Becca.  Again, she threw her head back and laughed.

************************************************

"So, did you feel as craptacular as I did this morning?"  Dante asked as he approached Becca.

She laughed, "Did I feel what?"

"Craptacular.  It seemed to properly describe how I felt this morning."

"I am never again drinking with you."

Dante settled onto the ground and stretched out beside her, folding his arms behind his head and closing his eyes. "It'll be quite a while before I drink again."

"Is everything alright?  I mean, I know Keith called a meeting, what's going on?"

He opened one eye and looked up at her, "Nothing for you to worry about."

Becca looked down at her niece who was sucking on her pacifier and waving the flower around in her hand, "I guess its top secret or something."

"Yeah."

"Did you, uh, did you see Pidge?"

"Yeah.  He's been up for a while, working."

"He works a lot."

"Yup."

Becca straightened the front of Schyuler's outfit, "Do you, uh, do you think he might be able to get any time off?"

************************************************************

Pidge watched from the window.  Dante laid on the ground beside them and they talked.  He knew he was being irrational, but he couldn't help himself.  What were they talking about?  Was there something going on between them?

He turned and paced the length of the wall, glancing out the window to see them.  He watched Dante turn onto his side to face her while they talked.  His mouth stretched in an impossibly large yawn and he knew that exhaustion was adding to his nerves.

Falling back into one of the chairs in front of the windows, Pidge set his coffee mug on the table beside him.  Part of him wanted to run outside and grab her, pull her into a kiss she would actually remember.  But another part of him was afraid he was being an idiot.  Maybe it would be better for her to be involved with Dante.  He knew how to have a good time, she would probably have more fun with him any way.

His head lulled back and he stared at the ceiling.  Within moments he had fallen into a fitful sleep.

*********************************************************

"Give me my kid."

Becca and Dante looked up to see Darcy standing over them, her hands on her hips.

Smiling, Becca stood, "She's been so good."

"Of course, she's a good girl."  Darcy's tone was clipped as she took Schuyler.

Becca furrowed her brow, "What's wrong with you?"  

"Nothing.  Have you seen Pidge?"

"No, I've been out here.  Why?  Is everything alright?"

"Uh, yeah, come with me."

Becca stood and brushed her shorts off, "See you later, Dante."  She followed her sister.  "What is wrong with you?"

"I need you to trust me, Rebecca, we're going to be staying in the castle for the time being.  Don't ask any questions because I can't answer them."

"You're scaring me, Darcy."

  
"Sorry, that's not my intention.  Don't worry, you're perfectly safe," Darcy flashed her a reassuring smile.  "I'm just asking for your complete cooperation."

Becca nodded, "Alright."

"And I may need you to watch Schuyler for me again later, we're going to have another meeting."  
  


"No problem."

"And, if I can offer you some sisterly advice, be careful with Dante, he can be quite the flirt."

Becca rolled her eyes, "I don't think you have to worry about that."

Darcy sniffed, "Someone needs to be changed."

"No, I'm fine thanks."

She rolled her eyes, "Go find someone else to bug."

"Fine, I'm going to get something to drink."

"I'll find you later for babysitting duty."

"Yeah, that's why I flew all the way across a couple of galaxies, so I could babysit for you…for free."

"And we appreciate it, Bec."

"I was being sarcastic."

"I know."

Becca rolled her eyes, "I'll see you later, Darc."

In the kitchen, Becca found Nanny starting lunch.  She grabbed a bottle of juice and slipped from the room before she got in Nanny's way.

_I wonder what's going on_, she thought as she wandered the hallway.  She was a little worried, but she also knew that the Castle of Lions was one of the safest places in the galaxy.  At least that's what Darcy repeatedly told her parents back when Doom was a threat.

For some reason unknown to her, Becca found herself in the doorway to the Observation Deck.  At first she thought it was empty, but as she entered the room she saw a head of auburn hair stick up over the top of the last overstuffed chair in front of the windows.  As quietly as she could, she walked around over in front of the chairs.

Pidge was sprawled in the chair, sound asleep.  One leg was thrown over the arm of the chair and his head was cradled in the nook where the arm met the back of the chair.  He looked so peaceful.  

Becca's fingers itched to touch him, stroke his cheek where the stubble was darkening his skin or run her hand through his hair.  She studied him.  He really was handsome in an old fashioned, scholarly kind of way.  His face was long and lean, his features sharp.  His glasses had slid down his nose and she reached out to take them off before they bent.

As soon as her fingers brushed his temples, he jolted awake.

"Oh, I'm…I'm sorry," Becca felt the heat rise to her face.  "You were sleeping and you're, uh, you're glasses were sliding off.  I was just going to…to take them off."

Pidge blinked, pushing his glasses up, trying to figure out what was going on.  "Becca?"

"Yeah, sorry, I didn't mean to wake you."

"It's okay," he sat up.  "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," she looked down at her hands, feeling very silly.

"Where's Dante?"

She missed the slight bitterness in his tone, "I, uh, I don't know.  Do you need to talk to him?  He was outside a few minutes ago."

Pidge stood, "I have some work to do, I'll see you around."

Becca watched him leave the room.  _What was that about?  Oh God, I did blow it with him.  He's pissed at me about last night._  She twirled around and fell back in the chair Pidge had just vacated.  


	6. Starting the Investigation

"We're going to start by going over the schedules and see who was on duty when these breaches were made.  From there, we will begin full surveillance of Castle Control."  Keith told the gathered team.  "But we need to be careful, we can't let on that we are investigating.  If whoever is doing this knows we're on to him, he may back off or try something different."

"Have you checked the surveillance cameras?"  Dante asked.

"Yeah," Lance sighed.  "They looped a tape.  It showed nothing out of the ordinary."

"They tampered with the cameras?"  Allura asked.

Lance nodded.

"We don't want to seem too obvious.  Hunk, I want you and Caleb to find four cross shooting points in Castle Control where we can hide cameras, we need to be able to see the computer station and I want to be able to see the entire room.  I want the cameras installed tonight while Dante is on duty, we don't want any of the guards to know what you're doing, be discrete.  If anyone asks, you're fixing something."  Keith instructed.  "Pidge is there any way you can make it so no one can sign on without a recognized identification?"

Pidge shrugged, "It's set up like that now, I don't know how they're doing it.  I'll do what I can, but I think we're dealing with someone who knows what their doing.  They may be able to figure a way around it."  
  
"Do what you can," Keith said.

  
"Can't you just change all the passwords?"  Allura asked.

"That's where it gets sticky," Pidge said.  "If there is an emergency, whoever is on duty needs to be able to sign on to the system.  The best course of action is to find out who's doing this as soon as possible.  We'll change all the passwords after that."

"Go get to work."  Keith dismissed them.  "Allura, I want to talk to you."

She watched as the others filed out of the room.  Lance took Darcy by the arm and led her away from the others.

"What is it, honey?" She asked him.

Keith pulled out the chair beside her and turned it to face her, "Lance and I think it would be for the best if you, Cady, Darcy, Schuyler, and Becca all went to Pollux until this threat passes."

Her eyes widened, "No."  She put her hands on the arms of the chair and pushed herself up.

"Allura, we don't know who's doing this or why, I don't want you in the line of fire."

"Keith, I will not leave Arus.  I am the Queen, I have a responsibility to my people."  

"Where are you going?"  He called after her as she left the room.

  
"I have to use the bathroom."

Keith followed her down the hall, "We need to talk about this, Allura."

"There's nothing to talk about Keith.  I'm not leaving."  
  


"Keep your voice down," he hissed as they passed a guard.  "We don't know who we can trust."

Allura glared at him.  It upset her more than he could ever know that someone in her crew could do this.  She knew all the guards by name, some of them she even knew their families.   There is just no way that one of them could be doing this.

Keith followed her into their room and paced impatiently while she took care of business.  This was not something he was willing to budge on.  He stopped and faced the door when he heard it open.

"I'm not leaving, Keith.  I know you're only doing what you think is right, but I need to stay here for my people."

"What about our children?"

Allura closed her eyes, her arms wrapped around her stomach, "Don't put me in this position, Keith."

"I could say the same to you, Allura."  
  


She opened her eyes and looked at him, tears filling them.  "I can't leave Keith.  I know you and the rest of the Force will keep us safe."

He crossed to her and put his hands on her shoulders, massaging them, "Honey, I just want to keep you safe and you will be on Pollux."

"You know I can't just leave.  What kind of message would that send to my people?  I have a responsibility to them and to Arus."

Keith pulled her to him, wrapping his arms around her tiny frame, feeling her firm, swollen stomach press into his.  "There are times I wish you weren't ruler of a planet."

Allura pushed him away, the tears spilling out of her eyes, "That's a terrible thing to say!"

"No, Allura, it's not!  I love you, you know I do."  He began to angrily pace the room.  "You and our kids are the most important things in the world to me, you're my life.  There are times I wish we could just leave Arus, leave behind all the painful memories left by Doom.  Now we have some new threat, granted we don't know how dangerous it is or if it's just a joke someone is playing."  
  


Allura watched him, listened to what he said, feeling her heart break.  "Are you sorry you got tied down here?"  She whispered, sinking down on the edge of their bed.

He whipped around to face her, "Of course not!  I just want you to be safe."

"So I'm a burden."

"No!"  Keith ran his hand through his hair, frustrated.  This was not going well.  He crossed to the bed and fell to his knees in front of her.  "Angel, I love you, I love our life here.  I wouldn't have it any other way.  I'm just frustrated.  I want you to be safe and I'm afraid our home isn't safe anymore."

Allura cupped his cheek with her hand, "I know this is hard for you.  When you married me you not only got a wife, but you also picked up a lot of other responsibilities…"

"I can handle the responsibilities of being your husband, Allura, I just don't think I could handle it if anything happened to you."

She sighed and brought both hands up to frame his face, forcing him to look her in the eye.  "If you don't catch whoever is doing this by the end of the month, I'll go to Pollux.  That will give me enough time to work with Koran and get my affairs in order."

"You'll be careful?"

"I will."

"And you'll keep your communicator with you at all times?"

"You know I do."

"Where's Cady?"

"Nanny has her."

Keith stood and crawled onto the bed behind her, "I would feel better if she was back in her nursery."

"She's safe with Nanny, but we can go get her if you want."

Keith knelt behind her and began massaging her shoulders, "I'll go get her."  He leaned forward and kissed her neck.  "Stay here.  Relax.  I'll bring Cady back here and then I have to meet with Lance, but I'll try and make it quick.  Just relax, everything will be all right."

Allura wiped the back of her hand over her wet cheeks, "I love you, Keith."

"I love you, too."  He stood and leaned over to give her a quick kiss.  "I'm going to lock the door, don't open it for anyone other than members of the Force, Nanny, or Koran."

"I won't."  
  
"I'll be right back with Cady."  He kissed her again.

***********************************************************

"Do you really think Allura is going to go for this?"  Darcy asked Lance.

  
They stood on the Observation Deck, talking quietly.

"I don't think so, but Keith says he can talk her into it."  
  
"I really don't want to go, Lance."  
  
"I would feel better knowing you guys were out of harms way."

"I know you would, sweetie, but I don't want to leave you." Darcy laid her hand on his arm.  

"Darcy…"

"But if Allura wants us to go, I'll go."

He dropped a kiss on her forehead, "Thank you, babe."

"What are you going to do now?"  
  


"Keith wants us to go over the schedules."

Darcy nodded, "I'm going to go find Becca and Schuyler."

"What are you going to do?"

"I don't know, why?"

"I think it would be a good idea if you guys went to our room, lock the nursery and bedroom doors and stay there.  I'll come and get you for dinner."

Darcy tilted her head and looked at him, "Are you serious?"

"Deadly serious."

"So we're prisoners in our home."

Lance grinned and leaned so his mouth was just a breath away from hers and whispered, "I think there are worse things than being locked in our bedroom."

Darcy couldn't help but smile, "Let me know if there is anything I can do to help."

He leaned against her, pressing her against the wall, "I can think of a couple of things."

"You know what I mean."

Lance brushed his lips over hers, "Go find the baby."

"See you at dinner," she gave him a quick kiss and slid out from under him.

Darcy found herself looking at every guard and maid she passed.  She knew them all.  _Who could it be?  Who would do this?_

Becca was not in the nursery, nor were they in the rec room or her room.  Darcy began to get annoyed, she had specifically asked her sister to stay in the castle.  She passed Keith who had just retrieved Cady from Nanny's care, he had not seen Becca, but if he did, he would tell her Darcy was looking for her.  When Nanny said she didn't know where they were, Darcy began to worry.

She pulled out her communicator and dialed up Lance.

"Collier."

"Lance, I can't find Becca."  She tried to control her voice, but it rose.

"Did you check the rec room?"

"Yes."

"Did you see if she was in the nursery with Nanny?"

"Yes!  I looked everywhere Lance, I can't find her!"

"Okay, calm down, Darcy.  They're here somewhere."  Lance turned away from his communicator when a guard interrupted.  "What?  Are you sure?"  He turned back, a bit pale.  She could tell he had started moving quickly.  "Honey, Pvt. Fforden said he saw Becca going into the hospital wing with the baby."

Darcy felt her heart stop, "What?"

"Where are you?"

"I'm heading to the hospital wing," she found her feet felt heavy as she began running.  "Meet you there."

With her heart in her throat, Darcy ran as fast as she could, arriving at the hospital within seconds.  She rushed through the door and stopped when she saw Becca talking to Dr. Gorma.  Schuyler had her head on Becca's shoulder, her eyes red and her face pale.  Dr. Gorma was holding a small vial up and explaining it Becca

Lance ran through the door, running into Darcy.  He grabbed her shoulders to steady himself, "What is it?  What's wrong?"

At the sound of his voice Schuyler began crying.

Darcy still hadn't found her voice, too scared to talk.  So she crossed over to her sister and took Schuyler, cradling her to her shoulder and rubbing her back.  "She's so warm."

Lance gently stroked his daughter's tear streaked cheek, she was burning up.  "What's wrong, doc?"

"Just an ear infection and a slight fever.  Becca noticed how warm she felt and brought her here."  Dr. Gorma held up the vial.  "I was telling her, these are drops, twice a day in her ear and she'll be just fine.  This," he held up a bottle of pink liquid.  "Is for the fever."

Lance listened as Dr. Gorma explained the medicine while Darcy tried to calm her baby.  She swayed slightly, whispering endearments that Schuyler wouldn't understand.  

"Come on," Lance took her arm.  "Let's put her to bed."  
  


"Darcy, are you okay?"  Becca asked, following them out of the hospital.

Darcy nodded.

"Thank you, Becca, for bringing the baby in."  Lance wrapped his arm around his wife's shoulders and steered her toward their room.  "We'll take her to bed.  Um, why don't you go get something to eat."

Becca nodded, confused.

Wordlessly, Lance led Darcy to their room and took Schuyler from her hands.  He administered her first dose of medication, changed her and rocked her until she fell asleep.  It didn't take long, the baby had drained herself crying.  Leaving the door to the nursery open, Lance found Darcy in the bathroom wiping her eyes with a tissue.  He crossed his arms and leaned against the doorway.

Darcy looked up and blushed when she saw his reflection in the mirror, "Is, uh, is she asleep?"

"Yeah.  You okay?"

"I'm fine."  She tried to walk past him, but he grabbed her arm and pulled her against him, wrapping his arms around her tightly.  "Lance."

"It's okay, baby."

Darcy buried her face in his throat and tried to calm her nerves.  "I know, I'm being silly."  She mumbled.

"No you're not."  He rubbed her back and kissed her temple.  

She lifted her head to look at him, "It's just that I couldn't find her and with everything that's going on I got scared and when we found her in the hospital…"  Her voice cracked.

Lance wiped away her tears with his thumb, "She's fine, Darcy."

"I know.  I'm being silly."

"No," Lance smiled at her.  "You're being a mommy."

She returned his smile with a weak one.

"I have to go meet Keith.  It shouldn't be long.  If you need me for anything," he tapped his communicator.  "You know how to get a hold of me."

"I know."  
  


He stepped back and ran his hands up and down her arms, "You okay?"

"I'm fine."

He dropped a kiss on her forehead, "I love you."

"I love you too," she gently shoved him. "Go do what you need to do so you can come back."

*****************************************************

Becca was feeling perplexed, afraid Darcy was mad at her.  But she had done the right thing, hadn't she?  Yes, she did, she knew she did.  

Not knowing what else to do with herself, Becca did what Lance had suggested and went to the kitchen.  It wasn't that she was hungry, just not sure what else to do.  Everyone was acting so strange.  

The door opened and she paused when she saw Pidge pouring himself a glass of juice.

He looked up and did a double take, "Hi, Becca."

"Hi," she whispered back.

"How're you doing?"

"I'm alright.  What about you?"

"I'm fine."

Becca studied him, her heart racing.  "You like tired, Pidge, you really need to rest."

"I'll rest when all this is over," he muttered, forgetting she had no idea what was going on.

"When what is over?"

"What?  Oh, nothing.  Forget I said anything."  
  


She stepped closer, "What's going on Pidge?"

"Nothing for you to worry about, just trust us."

"You guys are frightening me.  Something is obviously going on and no one will tell me."  Her eyes widened when she saw the weapon holstered on his belt.

Pidge set his glass down and crossed to stand in front of her, "You have nothing to be frightened of, Becca.  I won't let anything happen to you."  A lock of hair had come loose from her ponytail and lay on her shoulder, he fought the urge to reach out and touch it.

"Pidge?"

"What?"

Becca felt her nerve failing her, "What, uh, what's going on…with us?"

He locked his gaze with hers.  Her eyes were pure brown, not hazel.  No flecks of gold or green, just pure brown, the color of chocolate.

She blushed under his scrutiny and felt like a fool.  He wasn't answering her question.  Becca looked down, unable to watch him watching her.

"Rebecca," he reached up and tucked the stray strand behind her ear.  "I'm sorry I've been so tied up since you got here."

"It's okay, I understand."

"No, it's not okay.  I'm sorry and I'll make it up to you, I promise."

She smiled, "I told you, I'm going to hold you to that."

"Maybe tonight?  I have an assignment I have to take care of for Keith, but I should be done in a couple of hours."

Her smile grew, "I'd like that."

He met her smile with one of his own and Becca felt her knees weaken.

"Great, we'll try this again.  Hopefully the alarms won't go off this time."

"Hopefully," she whispered.

"I'll find you later."  And then he was gone.

**************************************************************

The Force was trying to be as subtle as possible.  Hunk and Caleb had their tool belts on and were pretending to be fixing a couple of monitors.  Keith had disappeared into his study with Lance and a couple of files.  They didn't want the guards to see them going through the schedules and files.  

Pidge sat down in front of the main computer terminal and began reprogramming the system.  He felt himself stiffen when he heard Dante enter the room.  He knew he shouldn't allow this to come between them as friends and teammates, but he couldn't help but feel some animosity towards Dante.  

"Hey man," Dante came up and clapped him on the shoulder.

"Hey," Pidge's response came out through clenched teeth.

"How's it going?"

"Fine."

"You okay, dude?"

"I'm fine."

Very casually, Dante said, "I was talking to Becca earlier."  
  


Pidge glared at the computer screen, his hands clenched in tight fists.  "Oh."

"Yeah, she's a great girl."

"I know."

"Did you know she isn't seeing anyone back on Terra?"

"Yeah."

"Are you sure you're okay?"  Dante asked.  "You seem kind of, I don't know…stressed?"

"I'm fine Dante," Pidge spat.  "If you don't have anything of importance to say, I really need to get this done."

"Oh, I don't know, I think Becca's pretty important."

Pidge stood, sending the chair he was sitting in rolling back, "What is with you, Dante?"

Dante held his hands up in defense, "Nothing, man, calm down."

"What?  Are you after her?  Another notch on your bedpost?"  He spoke quietly and his hands clenched and unclenched as he stepped closer to his teammate.

Silence filled Castle Control as everyone watched the two men at the far end of the room. They couldn't hear what was being said, but it didn't look good.

Dante snorted, "Yeah, right."

Pidge moved with a swiftness that shocked Dante.  There was a sickening sound of bone connecting with bone when Pidge's fist smashed into Dante's jaw.  A shocked expression crossed Dante's face as he stumbled back and fought to retain his balance.  

Hunk's wrench fell to the floor with a clang as he raced across the room.  "Pidge!  What the hell are you doing?"

"It's alright," Dante gingerly touched his cheek and wiggled his jaw.  It wasn't broken, it just felt like it.  "I'm fine."  
  


Pidge glared at him, his hands fisted at his side.

"You're an idiot," Dante told him.  "All she wants to do is talk about _you.  Even if I wanted to, I don't have a chance in hell with her.  You obviously like her, do something about it before you lose her.  You only have a few weeks before she goes home."_

"Aren't you on duty?"  Hunk asked Dante.

"Yeah, I'm going."

Hunk turned to his old friend, "You okay?"

Pidge made a decision.  "Hunk, I have to go do something.  When this scan stops running, restart the computer, I'll be back."  He pushed past his friend and left Castle Control.

**********************************************

**AN:**  I wanted to comment on one of the reviews I received for this story.  I put this at the end so you can skip over it if you like, or you can read it.  The tequila I referred to in a previous chapter is indeed an alcoholic beverage, not a drug.  (Although, some people do consider alcohol a drug).  I am over the legal drinking age (As is everyone in this story) and I have had tequila, both in shots and Margaritas.  The first thing you need to know is that alcohol affects different people in different ways, so some people would have been up all night throwing up and then felt like crap in the morning.  Other people would have been hungover the next morning.  And then there are people like me, I don't drink very often, but I have been drunk in the past (a couple of times by tequila) and I have never had a hangover.  How drinking affects people changes on a person to person basis.  You need to factor in metabolism, your physical size, what you had to eat or how much water you had to drink beforehand, etc…

I just want to avoid any confusion on this topic.  Thank you for your reviews, I really do appreciate them.

Thanks!

Failte 


	7. An Answer to Her Question

Pidge stalked from Castle Control feeling irrationally angry and frustrated.  _Screw Dante! _None of this is his business, he had no right to stick his nose in our lives!__

He stormed into the kitchen, startling Nanny who was starting her dinner preparations.  He mumbled an apology and left.  _Where is she?  He arrived at her door in record time, not even realizing that's where he was headed._

Becca jumped, surprised by the loud, insistent knock. She crept over to the door, "Who is it?"

"It's me," Pidge's tone was low and clipped.

With a shaking hand, Becca typed in the code to unlock and open the door.  She didn't know what was going on and his tone worried her.

Pidge watched the door slide open in front of him.  She stood before him, barefoot and her blouse untucked.  Her hair was down, framing her face in thick, loose waves.  

"You asked me a question earlier," he stepped into the room, the door closing behind him.

She instinctively took a step back from him.  "Yes."

"I think I have your answer."  

Before she could respond, Pidge cupped the back of her head and held her in place while his lips descended upon hers.  Once she got over her initial shock, Becca gave herself into the kiss.  She wrapped her arms around him while Pidge snaked his other arm around her waist, pressing her body to his.  He turned around and pressed her back against the door, pinning her with his body.  She responded by fisting her hand in his hair, tilting her head and deepening the kiss.

Pidge lifted his head and looked down at Becca.  Her eyes were still closed and her cheeks flushed.  They were both breathless.  He rested his forehead against hers and watched as she slowly opened her eyes.

"Wow."  She breathed.

"I'm sorry.  I don't know…"

"Don't be sorry," Becca whispered, gripping his shoulders when she felt him start to move away.  "Don't go anywhere, I don't think I can stand just yet."

Pidge smirked, "Left you weak in the knees, huh?"

"You have no idea."

"I think I have some."  He placed small kisses along her jaw.

"Now, I'm not complaining or anything, but can I ask what brought this on?"  She asked, tilting her head back.

"I was tired of beating around the bush.  If one more person felt the need to point out how we felt about each other, I was going to scream."

Becca pushed him back a little so she could look him in the eye, "How _do _we feel about each other?"

He studied her, absorbing every detail of her face.  The bump in the middle of her slightly upturned nose, the way the corners of her mouth naturally turned up, the tiny scar on her chin.  "I like you, Rebecca, a lot.  So much so that it frightened me, it still does.  I didn't know what to do with my feelings."  He laid it all out for her.

Becca clasped her hands behind his neck, feeling the heat rise to her face.  She toyed with the hair that brushed his collar and watched as he admitted his feelings for her.  Dark pink spots appeared on his cheeks, but his eyes retained contact with hers, attesting to his earnestness.

She blinked her eyes rapidly, "I like you too, Pidge.  A lot."  She stood on her toes and pressed her lips to his.

"So, does that answer your question?"  He asked when he pulled back.

"Oh, yeah," she purred.

"I hate to do this, but I have to go back to Castle Control."

"You do?" She pouted.

"Yes, I do.  What are you going to do now?"

"I was just going to hang out until you came to visit."

Pidge stepped back, running his hand through his hair, "I think you should go hang out with Darcy for now."  
  
"What's going on Pidge?"

"I can't really discuss it with you."

"Why not?"

"I just need you to trust me on this.  When I can, I will tell you all about it, okay."

She nodded.

He looked around her room.  "I don't think you should stay here alone."

"Pidge!"

He looked back at her, his face bright red, "That's not what I meant.  There's an empty room in the hall with us, next to Caleb's room.  I think you should move in there.  I'll talk to Nanny about having it made up."

"You're scaring me."

"I don't mean to," he put his hands on her shoulders.  "You have nothing to be scared of as long as I…we, are around.  Can you pack all your stuff together quickly?"

"Uh, I guess."

"I'll help you, then we'll take your stuff to our hall.  You can hang out with Darcy and Schuyler and I'll find Nanny on my way back to Castle Control."

Becca nodded, "Okay."

Pidge pulled two suitcases and a duffle bag out of the closet while Becca went to pack her toiletries in the bathroom.  When she walked back into the bedroom, she saw Pidge holding up a rather short, green satin nightgown with spaghetti straps he had found hanging in her closet.

"Find something you like?"  She asked, dumping her make-up in an open suitcase.

"Uh, yeah."  He was surprised to realize his shyness was no longer there.

"It's a little early in our relationship," she teased snatching it out of his hand and folding it.

"Relationship?"

Becca felt herself blush at her own assumption.  He caught sight of her red face and grinned.

"Becs," he took her hand and turned her to face him.  "I'm kidding.  I want to have a relationship with you."

"Yeah, well, maybe I don't want a relationship with _you."  She stuck her nose in the air and turned her back to him._

"Well, maybe you don't have a choice."

She gasped, turning back to him, her hands on her hips.  "My, aren't you sure of yourself?"

"Yup.  I made you weak in the knees."

"No you didn't, I only said that to make you feel better about bursting into my room and taking advantage of me."

"Taking advantage of you!"  He cried, incredulously.  "You enjoyed it!"

"I never knew you were so conceited."

Pidge took a step closer to her, "It's not conceit when it's true."

"Oh yeah?"

He leaned towards her, his mouth hovering above hers, "Yeah."

They both jumped when his communicator beeped.  Smiling, Pidge gave her a quick kiss before flipping it open, "Audric."

"Pidge, where are you?"  Keith asked.

"The south wing.  I'll be heading back to Castle Control in about ten minutes, I want to move Becca to the empty room by Caleb's so she isn't up here all alone."

"Sounds good.  Hurry up, as soon as you're done get down here."

"Will do, sir."

Becca had returned to packing, throwing her clothes in her bags, feeling guilty about tying him up when he had work to do.

*****************************************************

About an hour later, Lance stood in front of the door to their bedroom.  They had found nothing yet and Allura refused to go to Pollux, at least for now.  With a deep sigh he unlocked the door and watched it slide open in front of him.  

Darcy was reclining on their bed, propped up with a couple of pillows, and Schuyler was sleeping on her chest.  Beside her, Becca was sitting up against the headboard.  The televiewer was turned on to some talk show with the audio turned down low.

"Will you look at that woman," Becca whispered.  "What a skank."

"What do you expect of a woman who goes on television to air her dirty laundry?"  Darcy whispered back.  She looked up and smiled when the door slid open.  "Hey there, hot stuff."

Lance crossed to the bed, looking very tired, "Hey beautiful, how's the kid?"  He leaned down and gave her a kiss.

"She woke up a little while ago and was really fussy, she just fell asleep."

Lance walked around to the other side of the bed, he jerked his thumb over his shoulder, "Outta my bed, kiddo."

Becca slid off the bed, careful not to disturb the baby.  "I was just keeping it warm for you."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah.  Go find your boyfriend."

"Lance!"  Becca hissed, blushing.

"Oh stop pretending," Lance sat on the side of the bed and started untying his boots.  "Pidge let it out in Castle Control, he had a little explaining to do after he apologized to Dante."

"Apologize, for what?"  Becca sat on the desk chair and pulled her sandals on.

Lance leaned back against the headboard and closed his eyes, "For punching him."

"What?"  She cried, a little too loudly.

"Shhhh."  Darcy and Lance whispered at the same time.

"Sorry.  Why did he punch Dante?"

"Dante was baiting him.  Picking on him for dragging his feet with you when it was so obvious you guys liked each other."

"I can't believe he hit him."  
  


"I think it's sweet," Darcy murmured.  "It shows how he feels for you."

"Darcy Elizabeth Barlow!  There is no reason for that kind of violence.  He knows…

  
"Collier."  Lance yawned.

"What?"

"Her name is Collier now.  If you're going to yell at her, call her the proper name."  
  


"Collier.  Sorry."  
  


"It's alright, just don't do it again."  He laid his head on Darcy's shoulder and watched Schuyler sleep.

"Darcy, he knows better than to do that.  Dante is his friend and teammate.  Besides, I don't see why you all think you have the right to interfere in our business."  Becca stood, hands on her hips, facing them.

"Because we were all sick of watching you guys dance around each other."  Darcy told her.

"Pidge is looking for you."  Lance said.

With a dramatic sigh, Becca turned on her heel, "Fine, I can tell when I'm not wanted."

"Then you would've left five minutes ago," Lance muttered.

Darcy smacked his arm, "Lance."

"What?  I was kidding.  Love you, Becs."

Becca snorted, "Yeah, right.  Love you too, Lance."  She blew him a kiss and swept out of the room.

"Should I be jealous?"

Becca stifled a scream and turned to see Pidge standing across the hall in his open doorway.  "Geez, Pidge, you scared the crap out of me."

"Sorry."

"It's alright.  How'd everything go in Castle Control?"

  
He sighed and rolled his eyes.  "Don't ask."

"That bad?"

"Rebecca."  He warned.

"I know, I know.  You can't talk about it."  She sighed.

"Come here."

She took the hand he offered her and he pulled her into a hug.   "I think we can think of something else to talk about," he whispered.

Becca tilted her head back and looked up at him, "Oh, yeah?  Like what?"

"We'll think of something," he brushed a light kiss over her lips.

They jumped apart at the sound of applause.

Hunk and Caleb stood in the hall, watching them.

  
"It's about damn time," Hunk said.

"Mind your own business, Big Man."  Pidge muttered.

"As a matter of security it is the business of everyone in the Force to know what is going on within the castle's walls."  Caleb said.

"Smartass."

"Come on, Nanny sent us to get you guys, dinner's ready."  Hunk knocked on Lance and Darcy's door.

"Who is it?"  Lance called.

"It's me, Lieutenant."

The door slid open, "What's up, Hunk?"

"We're celebrating the fact that Pidge has finally seen the light."

"You're celebrating the fact he's molesting my sister-in-law?"

"No one is being molested," Pidge said.

"Why not?"  Lance and Hunk asked at the same time.

"It's time for dinner," Pidge told Lance.

"Um," Lance looked over his shoulder where Darcy was still lying with Schuyler.  "I think I'll bring some food back here."

"What's wrong?"  Hunk asked.

"Sick baby."

"Little Sky's sick?  What is it?"

"Ear infection and low fever.  She'll be fine."  

"We can bring you something up," Caleb offered.

"Thanks, we appreciate that."

"I think," Pidge whispered to Becca.  "That after we eat, we should ditch the others and go find some place to talk."

"I'd like that."

"Come on you guys, before I have to turn a hose on you!"  Hunk called over his shoulder.

************************************************************

Keith stood over Cady's crib and watched her sleep.  She was so beautiful.  Her blonde hair fell in ringlets and her eyes were the same shade of blue as Allura's.  She was sleeping on her back, her pink blankie pulled up to her chest, one hand fisted, resting beside her face.  He watched as her chest rose and fell in a smooth rhythm.  

Sleep just wouldn't come for Keith.  He couldn't stop thinking about their breach in security. Who was it?  Was his family in danger?  Why wouldn't Allura just go to Pollux?  Didn't she understand how important she was?  Screw her people, they would be just fine if she took some time to go to Pollux.

Keith looked down, realizing he was gripping the railing of the crib so tightly his knuckles had turned white.  He felt so frustrated, so helpless.  He didn't want to admit that he couldn't trust one of the people in the castle, but it had to be someone.  All the guards were familiar with computers, it was necessary since the castle was almost entirely run by computers.  More than half of them had degrees in computer technology.

Cady sighed and whimpered in her sleep.  Keith stopped and looked down at her.  How could he protect her if he didn't know who he was protecting her from?

He sensed her before he saw her.  "You should be in bed."

Allura had wakened to find the bed empty beside her.  It was a horrible feeling.  "You weren't in bed."  She came to stand beside him.

"I couldn't sleep."

She laid her head against his arm, "Talk to me Keith."

"I just have a lot on my mind."

"We'll find who this is."

"I know."  
  


"We need you rested, honey."

He turned and wrapped his arms around her, burying his face in her soft, golden hair.  Breathing in her scent, he tried to draw strength from her, the love he felt and the love she returned.

Allura stroked his back, feeling the shiver that ran through him.  It worried her whenever she saw him like this.  "Come back to bed, Keith," she murmured against his shoulder.

He nodded.  Taking her hand in his he led her from the nursery back into their room.  It was easier for him to worry and fuss over someone else.  He peeled the robe off her shoulders and helped her to the bed.    "Go back to sleep, I'm just going to run down to Castle Control and see how everything is going."

Allura sighed, but she nodded.  "Hurry back."

"I will."

"And bring me a popsicle."

"Orange?"

"Grape."

"You hate grape."

She shrugged and pulled the covers over her legs, "I'm hungry for grape."

Keith dropped a kiss on her head, "Alright, I'll be back in a few minutes."

The castle was always quiet this time of night, particularly since Doom had been defeated.  He entered Castle Control to find Pvt. Whitman was monitoring the screens.  Private Miele Whitman.  Keith had known him for two years.  His father had been a castle guard who had died during a Doom attack four years earlier.  Whitman had told him he wanted to be a castle guard to continue what his father had started.  It was a privilege to serve the royal family and he wanted to honor his father's memory.  Could it be him?

Keith shook his head, "How's it going, Private."

Whitman jumped to his feet and saluted, "Everything is clear, sir."

"Good, good.  At ease.  You came on at one, didn't you?"

"Yes sir, I relieved Lt. Addison.  He said everything had been clear."

"Has anyone else stopped in here since you came on?"

Pvt. Whitman looked confused, "Uh, no sir."

"I was just wondering.  See tomorrow, Private."

"Good night, sir."

Keith left Castle Control in search of a grape popsicle.


	8. First Date

Hi all!

Once again, all relative disclaimers apply.  

Thank you all for your wonderful and helpful reviews.

Anony~ Thank you for your review.  I understand what you mean about describing her eye color.  Before I posted that chapter I gave serious consideration to rewording that sentence.  But the more I thought about it, the more I wanted it to be Keith standing over the crib, reflecting upon his daughter and what he needed to do to protect her.  So it was meant to be a general description.  Sorry if it caused any confusion.  Next time I'll go with my instinct and reword it :)

Enjoy,

Failte

****************************************************

A week had passed and Keith was pacing his study, frustrated. Nothing had happened. He wanted to think they were safe, but he couldn't know for sure. Was this person lulling them into a false sense of security? Did they know the Force was investigating? Even if it had been a joke, it wasn't funny and they needed to find whoever it was.  
  


"Come in!" He barked when there was a knock on his door.  
  


"Everything alright, Keith?" Pidge walked in.  
  


"No."  
  


"Oookkaaay," Pidge drawled. "Want to talk about it?"  
  


"I'm just a little pissed that we haven't found anyone."  
  


"But we can't let our guard down for fear that they're just lying in wait."  
  


"Exactly!" Keith slammed his fist on his desk. "Dammit!" He fell into his chair and looked up at the man in front of him. "I'm sorry, Pidge. What's up?"  
  


"I'm not on duty tonight."  
  


"Thanks for letting me know, it's not like I put the schedules up or anything."  
  


"Wow, you sure are in a pissy mood."  
  


Keith glared at him across the desk.  
  


"Anyway, I was thinking that since I do have the evening off, I could take Becca into town. You know, a real date."  
  


Keith sighed. He felt bad about keeping the Force in lockdown. Everyone was experiencing cabin fever. Hunk and Paton had put their wedding planning on hold, which left Paton angry since Hunk couldn't tell her why. All of which put Hunk in a really bad mood.   
  


"I don't know Pidge. I mean, I understand where you're coming from and I know how much you guys want to go out, but I'm not comfortable having our computer guy out of reach."  
  


"I won't be out of reach, Cap, I'll take my communicator with me and we'll only go out for dinner. Two hours, tops."  
  


Keith ran his hand through his hair and rubbed the tight knot in the back of his neck, "I'll give you five to seven. That means be back here at seven, don't leave the restaurant at seven."  
  


Pidge grinned, "Thanks Keith."  
  


"Yeah, yeah. Just make sure your communicator is on and take a car, if we need you, I want you back here immediately."  
  


"No problem." Pidge turned to the door. "Don't worry, man, we'll find out who did this and we'll get them."  
  


"I know. Thanks Pidge."  
  


The door slid open and Pidge almost ran into Allura who was about to enter. She clapped a hand over her heart and gasped.  
  


"Sorry, Allura, I didn't see you," Pidge took her arms to steady her. He leaned in and whispered, "Watch out, he's in a bad mood."  
  


She smiled at him, "Thanks for the warning, but I think I can handle his mood."  
  


Pidge flashed her a smile and took off down the hall.  
  


"He certainly seemed happy," Allura announced, entering the office.  
  


Keith watched her cross the room toward him. "I just gave him permission to take Becca out for their first date."  
  


She smiled, "That's so sweet. Remember our first date?"  
  


A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth, "How could I forget."  
  


Allura rounded the desk and stood behind him, gently massaging the knots from his shoulders. "Dr. Gorma had released me two days earlier. He made me stay longer than I wanted to, saying the wounds I had received from my latest bout with Lotor were worse than I thought they were. But you, my knight in shining armor, had rescued me."  
  


He closed his eyes and tilted his head forward as she worked on the kinks in his neck, "I had a little help."  
  


"I only remember waking up in the hospital and seeing you there," she dropped a kiss on the top of his head. "At the time, Alforia was still pretty much in ruins, there wasn't any place for you to take me on a date. So you packed a picnic and Lance's radio." She kissed the back of his neck. "You took over the Observation Deck, ordered everyone to stay away, unless there was an emergency. You lit candles around the room, pushed all the chairs back against one wall, laid out a blanket." She slid her arms down, crossing them over his chest and nuzzling his hair. "We had a picnic and danced until late into the night.  I was so shocked that the Captain of the famous Voltron Force liked dancing so much."  
  


"I didn't.  It was just the most subtle way for me to be able to get my hands on you."

Allura laughed, "Since I was hoping you would put your hands on me, I'll forgive you."

Keith slowly stood and turned to face his wife, "We haven't had a date in a while."  
  


She smiled mischievously, "I think the last one we had was about six months ago."  
  


Smiling, he placed both hands on her stomach, "Yeah, that was a good one."  
  


"We'll have to do it again soon."  
  


Keith took her hands in his and pulled her against him. With one hand on the small of her back and his other hand clutching hers, he twirled her around the desk until they were standing in the middle of his study, swaying gently together. "I promise you, Angel, as soon as this is all over, I will take you dancing all night."  
  


"Well, maybe not dancing, but at least out to dinner."  
  


"Deal." He pressed a kiss to her lips. "Now what did you come in here for?"  
  


"Do I need a reason?"  
  


"I guess not."  
  


"Maybe," she threaded her fingers through the hair at the back of his neck and leaned against him as they continued swaying. "I was just feeling lonely and I really wanted to see you."  
  


"Or?"

"Or the cribs arrived."

"And they need to be assembled."

"Yup."

He dropped his forehead on her shoulder.

"You don't have to do it right now and you only need to do one for now."

"Why?"  
  
"Dr. Gorma said they should share a crib at first, it'll make the separation easier on them."

"Really?  But they're just babies."

"Yeah, but they're spending nine months in extremely cramped quarters, they're used to being together."

Keith nodded, "I guess it makes sense.  I'll get on it later."

"Thanks honey," she kissed his cheek.  "I'm glad you're not in a bad mood any more."

"Who said I was in a bad mood?"

Alllura rolled her eyes, "You don't hide it well.  I have to go meet with Koran, I'll see you at lunch."

*********************************************

Pidge tried combing his hair down.  It insisted on sticking up in various directions.  He usually never let his hair grow this long, it was entirely unruly.  Lance and Keith both kept their hair on the long side and it looked really cool on them.  Pidge recognized a losing battle when he saw one and threw the comb down on the sink.  As soon as this all passed he would get a haircut.

He grabbed a long jacket that would hide the blaster he had holstered on his belt.  With the defeat of Doom, they had gotten out of the habit of carrying their weapons with them everywhere, but since they didn't exactly know what was going on they had all started carrying them again.  

With one last attempt at smoothing down his hair Pidge left his room.  

After talking to Keith earlier, he had gone straight to Becca's room.  

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Her door was unlocked and she called for him to come in rather than answering the door herself.  She was sitting at her desk emailing her friends back home.  He had obviously caught her off guard.  When she saw it was him, she blushed and jumped to her feet.  Her hair was pulled hastily back with a blue clip, she had no make-up on, and she was wearing a pair of torn jeans, an old Toronto Blue Jays t-shirt and no shoes.  

Trying to regain her composure, Becca put a hand on her hip and gave him a weak smile, "Hi, Pidge, I, uh I thought you were Darcy.  Um, what's up?"

Pidge looked her up and down.  She looked cute and earthy.  He really wished she would stop trying to impress him by dressing up and just be herself, "Huh?"

"What's up?"

"Oh, yeah," he walked into the room, looking around.  It wasn't a guest room and so it was quite empty and dull.  "This place looks barren."

"Well, it's just a place to sleep, it's not like I'm staying around that long."

Pidge grimaced.  He hated being reminded of their short time together.  "Anyway, I just talked to Keith.  I'm off tonight and he just gave me permission to leave the castle for a couple of hours."

"Oh yeah? That's great."

He froze, suddenly realizing he had never really asked anyone out on a date.  His only other experience with women had been Renata and they would take walks, watch movies, and just hang out around the castle.  They had never gone out on a date.

Becca watched him.  He was staring at her, but she had the feeling he didn't see her.  "Pidge?"

"Um, would you, uh, would you like to go out to, uh, dinner with me?"  Nerves caused him to fumble over the question.

"I would love to."

"Really?  Uh, great."

Becca laughed, "Did you really think I would say no?"

He shrugged, "There's always that chance.  I mean, you could've had plans with Darcy or something."

"I'd have broken them for this.'

"You would have ditched your sister to go out with me?"

"Yup."

He smiled at her, "So I'll come get you at five?"

"You're on."  
  


"Alright then, five it is."  He turned to leave.

  
"Pidge."

He looked over his shoulder and saw her motioning to him with her index finger.  Confused, he crossed the room to her.

Becca leaned in and gave him a quick, sweet kiss.  "See you at five."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Becca stood in front of the bathroom mirror and surveyed the image before her.  She never thought of herself as very pretty but rather plain.  Of course her mother and her mother's friends have always told her how pretty she was, but that didn't count.  She had had her share of dates and boyfriends over the years, her longest relationship lasting six months.  

While she was comfortable around guys, more so than Darcy ever was, they were usually always just friends.  That's what happened with Pidge.  But he was so different from the other guys she hung out with.  He was easy to talk to, intelligent, and kind.  She knew that she had fallen for him before he had felt anything for her.  When she had come to Arus back in January, when Schuyler was born, they hadn't had a lot of time to hang out.  She had been helping Lance with the baby while Darcy recuperated.  But when it came time for her to board the ship back to Terra, he had gone with her to the tarmac.  He had hugged her good-bye and they had clung to each other a little longer than necessary.  She smiled softly at the memory.

Becca was brought back to reality when there was a knock on her door.  She glanced at the clock on the bedside table as she crossed the room and saw that it was exactly five o'clock.

"Becca," Pidge smiled and held out a clutch of daisy-like flowers.

"Oh, Pidge," she sighed and accepted the flowers.  "Thank you.  Let me put them in some water and we can leave."

With his heart pounding, Pidge watched her go into the bathroom.  She looked beautiful.  Her hair loose around her face, just as he liked it, and she wore a simple blue dress he had seen on Darcy, but Becca filled it out better, and the necklace he had given her.  

"Where are we going?"  She asked, walking back into the room, the flowers in a glass of water.

"A little restaurant in town.  We have to be back by seven and I know they can get us in and out."

"That sounds nice," she grabbed her purse and took the arm he offered.  "You look nice."  He did look good, wearing a light blue dress shirt under a tan sports coat.  

"Thank you.  You look beautiful."

Becca blushed slightly, "Thank you."

"Ah look, do you have your camera, honey?"

Becca looked up as they entered the hall and saw Lance standing in the doorway to his room.  A moment later Darcy appeared with a camera in hand.

"Their first date!  Don't they look cute?  Smile!"  Darcy held the camera up to her eye.

"I'm going to kill you," Becca told her.

"Just wait until Dad sees this."

"Darcy!"

  
"Oh, calm down, I'm kidding."  Darcy winked at her little sister.  "Have fun."

******************************************************

"How'd you get the scar on your chin?"  Pidge asked as he bit into his sandwich.

Unconsciously, Becca traced the thin line along the curve of her chin, "When I was eight the neighbor's dog bit me.  Three stitches.  I had hoped it would have faded more by now."

"Nah, it adds character."

She smiled, "Thanks.  I'm sure you have bigger scars with better stories."

Pidge snorted, "Don't try to romanticize the evil we fought."

"Sorry."

He winked at her, "If you're good, I'll show you my scars some time."

"Oh yeah?"

"Yeah, but you have to wear that little green nightgown."

"That's how you define being good?"

"It doesn't hurt."

"Excuse me."

They both turned to see a young boy standing beside their table.  He held a pen and a piece of paper and was grinning up at Pidge.

"Yes?"  Pidge asked, dreading what was coming next.

"You're Lt. Pidge Audric, right?  From the Voltron Force?"

"Uh, yeah, I am."

"Can I have your autograph?"

Inwardly, Pidge groaned.  He hated this part of being a member of the Force.  He felt so silly signing his name on a piece of paper.  But he smiled and held out his hand, "Sure.  What's your name?"

"Arin."

Pidge scrawled a quick message on the paper and handed it back, "Nice meeting you, Arin."

"Wow, thanks!  Now I only need to get Captain Whitaker and Sgt. Barlow."  He grinned and turned to skip back to his table, waving the paper.

Pidge looked up to see Becca smiling at him, "Don't."

"What?"  She asked.  "I think it's sweet."

"It's annoying," he whispered.

"You're a celebrity."

"No, I'm not.  I'm a pilot.  Just a pilot."

Becca reached across the table and covered his hand with hers, "You are so much more than _just_ a pilot."

Pidge's gaze locked on hers and he felt an electric jolt straight through his chest.

"Will there be anything else tonight?"

Pidge looked up at the waitress, forgetting they weren't alone. "Uh, no thanks.  We need to head out so we'll just take the check, please."  
  


"No problem, I'll be right back."

"I had a lot of fun tonight, Pidge."

"So did I, Bec, I hope we can do this again soon."

Pidge left the check, with a generous tip, on the table and offered Becca his hand.  

"It's such a beautiful night," Becca sighed as they walked outside.

"I need to check in with Keith when we get back to the castle, then maybe we can go for a walk around the lake," Pidge said as he opened the car door for her.

"That would be fun."

It was a two mile walk from the castle to Alforia, however the first half-mile was actually the driveway up to the castle.  When they reached the driveway, Pidge leaned over the front seat and asked the driver to stop.  It was 6:40, they still had a little time.

"What's going on?"  Becca asked.

"Let's walk the rest of the way."  Pidge opened the door and got out, offering his hand to her.

The sun was just starting to set.  Since it was closer to autumn on Arus, the days weren't as long as they were on Terra.  It was warm, but a breeze kept it from being unbearable.  They watched as the driver pulled ahead and started toward the castle's garage.

Taking her hand, Pidge started across the huge lawn.  "I am so glad you came here for your summer break, Bec."  He admitted shyly.

Becca squeezed his hand, "So am I."

"I'm just sorry that we've been so busy."

"That's okay, I've been spending a lot of time with Dr. Gorma."

"Oh really?  Is this something I should be worrying about?"  He teased.

"No," she tugged at his arm.  "We've been talking about medicine and the procedures he's performed.  What he did for Darcy after she was shot is amazing."

"You are going to be a great doctor."

"If I can make it through med school."

"You will.  You'll do great."

Becca stood on her toes and kissed his cheek, "Thanks for the support, Pidge." 

"That's why I'm here."

Becca gasped as they drew closer to the castle.  It rose before them, imposing and beautiful.  The setting sun reflected off the windows and metal.  

"Amazing, isn't it?"

"Yeah."

"It used to be…"

Becca had heard Darcy talk about 'soldier mode' and she was now seeing it first hand.  Pidge stopped in mid-stride.  His posture stiffened as he pulled himself up tall.  His hand reached for his communicator and he dragged her over to a clump of trees.

"What is it?"  She asked, nervously.

His voice was low and his tone serious when he spoke.  "Look up at the castle."

She did.

"Notice anything?"

Becca shook her head.

"No lights."  Before Pidge could dial anyone on his communicator, it beeped.  "Audric."

"Pidge, where are you?"  Keith asked.

"We're just outside the castle, Keith.  I noticed the lack of lights."

"We're completely cut off.  We're all locked in the dining room."

"I'm on my way.  We'll be coming in through the catacombs."

"Copy that.  Keep us posted."  Keith ended the transmission.

"What is going on?"  Becca asked, her voice shaking.

Pidge turned to her.  "Rebecca, I need you to trust me and do as I say.  Stick very close to me, keep very quiet, and stay calm."

She nodded.

"It'll be alright."

Biting her lip, she nodded again.

He dropped a kiss on her forehead, grabbed her hand and they hurried towards the castle.


	9. Personal Invasions

Clutching Becca's hand in his, Pidge raced around the back of the castle.  His mind was all over the place, trying to figure out the fastest way to Castle Control, who was doing this, how long did they have.  

Becca tried her best to keep up with him, but her shoes were not made for running.  What was going on?  The catacombs?  Where was that?  She watched Pidge as they ran.  He had a look of intense concentration on his face and she found herself feeling a little intimidated.  Not watching where she was going, Becca tripped over a rock and stumbled into him.

  
"You okay?"  He asked pulling her up.

"Yeah."

Pidge stopped and held out his hand, "Give me your shoes."

"What?"

"Just give them to me!"

Bewildered, Becca removed her shoes and handed them to him.  Her eyes widened when she saw him snap the heels off them and hand them back.

"You need to be able to move, babe."

She tugged them back on, "You owe me a new pair."

"Bill me."  He grabbed her hand and started running again.  

Stopping in front of what looked like an overgrown bush, Pidge pulled his communicator out again and dialed up Keith.

  
"Whitaker."

"Any power yet?"

"No.  Where are you?"

"We're at the entrance of the catacombs.  When did the power go out?"

Keith looked at his watch.  He had happened to glance down when the lights went out.  "Exactly forty five seconds ago."

Pidge nodded, "Alright, the generators will take some time to kick in, especially if it's the entire castle.  It will first restore power to Castle Control and then spiral out from there.  If everything works as it should, you should have power in the dining room within the next two minutes."  
  
"Unless they disabled the generators."  Keith pointed out.

Pidge pushed aside some of the branches, exposing a large, old wooden door.  "True.  We're going to head straight to Castle Control.  Who's on duty?"

"Caleb.  He's doing what he can to fix the problem."

"Got it.  I'll let you know when we hit Castle Control."

"Copy that," Keith signed off.

Pidge clipped his communicator back onto his belt and shrugged off his jacket.  He held it out to Becca, "Take this.  The branches will scratch your arms and the catacombs are damp and cold."

Wordlessly, she took the jacket and slipped it on.  It fell to her knees and smelled of his soap.  Rolling the sleeves up to her wrists, Becca watched as he pulled out a key ring and unlocked the door.

"The catacombs are under the castle and you can get to almost any room through them."  Pidge explained as he tugged at the handle of the huge door.  "We are the only ones with keys.  There are hidden passages throughout the castle for escape purposes, but they are rather primitive."

Becca nodded.

"Stay with me."  He took her hand and pulled her through the door.

The narrow hallway they entered was shadowed and dank.  A musty smell hung in the air and Becca couldn't help but wrinkle her nose at the odor.  When the door closed behind them, they were plunged into darkness.  Pidge paused so his eyes could adjust to the gloomy passage.  Becca felt her heart race.  The only sounds were her and Pidge's breathing and dripping water.

Pidge felt her tremble.  "Stay with me," he repeated.

Becca nodded, then realized he couldn't see her and whispered, "Okay."

He started through the passageway.  

Becca blindly followed.  _How does he know where to go?_

The floor began to slope upwards and he began to walk faster.  After about a hundred yards, Pidge stopped suddenly, causing Becca to run into his back.  She couldn't see what he was doing, but she heard him grunt and the faint creaking of rusty door hinges.

"Come on."  He took her hand and pulled her through.  The door closed behind them with a muted thud.  

They continued down another dark hallway.  Turning right, the floor sloped up again.  They turned right again.  Becca began to fear that they were going in circles.  There is no way he could see where they were going.

"We're here," he whispered, dropping her hand.  He grunted again and pulled open another door.  Becca saw a blinking, red LED light reflecting off Pidge's glasses.  He flipped a switch and bent down.  

Warm air washed over them as Pidge slid the door up and they entered Castle Control.

"Caleb!"  Pidge called.

Castle Control was washed in the eerie glow of red backup lighting.  Caleb was standing over the main console.  He looked up when his name was called.  "Pidge?"

"Yeah, how long have the lights been out?"  Pidge crossed quickly to the console.

"Two and a half minutes now."

"The generators should have kicked in in here."  Pidge muttered.

"I know."

"Can I have your flashlight?"

Caleb handed him the big metal light he had.

"I'll be right back."  Pidge turned to Becca who was standing behind him.  "Sit down.  I'll be right back."

Becca fell into a chair and watched Pidge race through the door they had just walked through.  He took out his communicator and called Keith to fill him in on his progress.  She watched as Caleb sighed and took a step back.  He looked at her and flashed a small smile, "How're you holding up?"

"I'm fine."  The tremor in her voice betrayed her nerves.

"Pidge went to check on the generators.  I'm glad you guys showed up.  I couldn't leave my post to do that."

"How did we get through that door," Becca pointed to the door that led to the catacombs, "if there is no power?"

"The doors to Castle Control and the throne room have manual overdrive switches.  Ever notice the small handles at the bottom of the door?"

Becca nodded.

"When you flip the manual overdrive switch, pull up on the handles and the doors slide up."

"Shouldn't all the doors have that so this doesn't happen?"

"They should.  I know Keith wants to do it, but it takes time to install.  Most of the rooms have entrances to hidden passages that lead to almost anywhere in the castle through the catacombs.  Whoever did this knows that the dining room is one of the three rooms in the castle that aren't connected to the hidden passages."

Becca nodded.

A sudden whirring sound filled the air and the lights overhead flickered and turned on, flooding the room with light.  Caleb turned to the console and began entering information.  The radars beeped and the monitors hummed.

Pidge ran full force back into the room.  "The entire castle should be in working order within sixty seconds."  He sat down at the main computer and began typing furiously.

Just over a minute later, the main entrance slid open and the rest of the Force, along with Allura, Koran, and Darcy, ran into the room.  Becca watched the action unfold in front of her.  Dante and Hunk joined Caleb at the main console while Lance went to talk to Pidge.  Koran tried to talk Keith into sending guard patrols around the castle to check and make sure everything was clear.  Keith hesitated, worried about who he could trust.  In the end, he sent Hunk and Dante out to each lead a group of guards throughout the castle.

Within five minutes, Pidge had main power restored and put the generators on backup.  He then turned his attention to the task of figuring out who had done this.  

"Anything?"  Keith asked after fifteen minutes.

"I've traced it to the castle's network."  Pidge muttered as he scanned the screen in front of him.

"The network?"  Allura asked.

Pidge looked up at her, "Yeah, they've figured out how to tap into the system from elsewhere in the castle."

Keith swore loudly.

"Can you narrow it down to which computer?"  Lance asked.

"I'm working on it."

"Come on," Darcy leaned over to Becca.  "They'll be working on this all night.  Want to go get changed?"

"Yeah," Becca stood.  "Time to lose the pantyhose."

"Becca."

She turned when Pidge called to her.

"You have a laptop, don't you?"

"Yeah."

"You hooked it up to the castle's network?"

Becca felt her heart stop, "Yeah, I did, when I sent some emails earlier."

Pidge sat back and looked up at Keith.  "I found where it came from."

"But how?"  Becca asked.  "I was with you all evening."

"Did you lock your door?"  Lance asked.

"I thought I did."

"Come on," Keith motioned to Lance and Pidge.  "Let's go check it out."

Becca and Darcy followed them as they ran up to her room.  The door was shut.  Keith tapped in the code to open it and they all watched the door slide open.  The drawers to the dresser were pulled out and turned upside down.  The desk was tipped over and the bedding pulled back.  Becca felt sick to her stomach as she took in the scene before her.

Weapons drawn, the three men crept into the room.  Lance entered the bathroom while Pidge opened the closet door.   After a quick sweep, Keith turned to Becca, "Whoever it was is gone.  Let me know if anything is missing."

Becca nodded.

"I'll help you clean up," Darcy told her, setting Schuyler in the center of the bed, placing pillows around her.

"Thanks," Becca muttered.

Pidge righted the desk and plugged in her laptop.  He turned it on and looked over at Becca, "Is there anything on your computer you don't want me to see?"

Becca looked up, confused, "Huh?"

"I need to see if I can find out who did this, can I get on your computer?"

"Yeah, go ahead."  She and Darcy started picking up the dresser drawers and refolding her clothes.

"We're going to head back to Castle Control, let us know what you find."  Keith said to Pidge.  He stopped beside Becca and laid a hand on her shoulder, "I am really sorry about this Becca.  We'll find who did this."

She nodded numbly.  

It took them close to twenty minutes to get the room back in order.  "Did you notice anything missing?"  Darcy asked her sister as she laid on the bed beside Schuyler.

Becca blushed, "Just a, uh, a nightgown I brought."

"Which one?"

"It's nothing.  It was a cheap little one."  Becca thought she heard Pidge groan in disappointment.

Darcy smiled, "Find anything yet, Pidge?"

"No."

"I'm going to change," Becca announced, grabbing some clothes and walking into the bathroom.

"How'd things go, tonight?"  Darcy asked, rubbing the baby's back.

"Fine, until we got back here," Pidge said, never taking his eyes off the computer.

"Where'd you go?"

"Adrina's."

"That place is great.  Lance and I've been there a couple of times."

"Mm hm."

"Hey Becs!"  Darcy called.

"What?"  Becca yelled through the bathroom door.

"I don't think you should stay in here tonight."

Becca opened the door and leaned on the door frame dressed in a pair of flannel pajama pants and an old t-shirt, "What?"

"We can set up a cot in our room, you can stay with us until we find out who did this."

Becca mulled over that.  "Thanks, Darc, but I don't think that's necessary."  In all honesty, she felt a little uncomfortable with the idea of bunking in the same room as her sister and her husband.

"Come on, we can kick Lance out, he can sleep in the nursery and we can have a slumber party."

"Becca, come here," Pidge waved her over.

"What?"  She stood beside her.

"You haven't given your passwords to anyone, have you?"

"No."

"I can't find any evidence of hacking.  Whoever did this, knew what they were doing and they really covered their tracks."

Schuyler started to cry.  Darcy scooped her up and cradled her to her shoulder.  "I'm going to take her to bed.  You know where to find me, Becs."

"Thanks Darc."

"She's right," Pidge leaned back in the chair and looked up at her.

"About what?"

"You shouldn't stay in here tonight."

"I'll be fine."

"No, Becca, it wouldn't be a smart idea."

She turned and sat on the desk, looking at him.  "Pidge, would you want to set up a cot in the same room as those two?"  
  
"You could stay in the nursery."

She shook her head, "No, I'll be fine.  I'll lock the door.  They won't come back if I'm here."

He laid his hand on her knee, "Do you really want to chance that?"

"It's a pride thing.  I won't let whoever did this think they've frightened me."

"Pride or stupidity?"

"Don't."  She warned.

Pidge looked down where his hand still rested on her leg, "Was it, uh, was it the green nightgown?"

"Yeah."

"Damn."

"I think it's kind of creepy.  Someone broke into my room, hacked onto my computer and stole the slinkiest thing I own."

"It is creepy, which is why you should stay with Darcy tonight."

Becca looked down and traced circles on the back of his hand with her fingertip, "What's going on, Pidge?"

"I can't tell…"

"Don't say you can't tell me.  I'm in the middle of it all now."

He knew she was right but telling her would be going against a direct order from his commander.  Not that she would do anything stupid like discuss this with the guards.

"Pidge."

He sighed and looked up at her, "It's an inside job.  Someone, we think one of the guards, is messing with the computer systems.  They've shown us they can disable the electricity and various locks throughout the castle, and trip the alarms.  Essentially they can disable the entire castle.  We can't really trust any of the guards right now, which makes the investigation so difficult."

Becca shivered, "That's scary."

  
"Yeah.  But keep it to yourself, we're trying to keep the investigation under wraps."

She nodded.

"I don't want you to be scared, Becs."  Pidge turned his hand over and laced his fingers with hers.  "Nothing is going to happen to you.  I won't let it."

"I know," she whispered.

Smiling softly, he stood.  "One hell of a first date, huh?"

"It's one I'll never forget."

He took a step closer, "Well, that was the point."

"I can't wait to see how you top this night.  Our second date will be a doozy."

"A doozy?"  He took both her hands in his.

"Yup, I'm expecting a doozy."

"No pressure there."  He pulled on her hands until she slid off the desk and was standing in front of him.

"You're a smart man, you'll figure something out."

Pidge pulled her into a hug, feeling her press her face to his throat, "It'll be okay, Bec."  
  


"I know."

"Are you going to take Darcy up on her offer?"

She shook her head and pulled back to look up at him, "Nah, I'm fine."

"You're stubborn."

"Yup."

"I have to go report to Keith."

"Should I disconnect my computer or anything?"

"No, that's not necessary.  But I think we should change the code that locks your door."  
  


Becca nodded, "How do we do that?"  
  


"I'll take care of it."  Reluctantly, Pidge stepped back from her.  "I'll do it right now."

She watched as he went to her door and typed in what seemed like hundreds of numbers.  After a few moments he turned back to her.  "Your new code is 4-9-8-2."  
  


"Okay."

"If you need anything, call Castle Control."  He pointed to the phone on the desk.  "It's *22."

"Okay."

He smiled, "Are you sure you're alright?"

"Yeah, I'm fine.  I'm going to crawl into bed with my book and pretend this night never happened."

Pidge raised an eyebrow, "Really?"  
  


"Well, not the whole night, just the last hour."

"Oh, okay," he winked at her.  "Good night Bec."

She stuck her lower lip out and pouted, "Don't I get a good night kiss?"

"Wow, you're rather presumptuous, aren't you?"

"Yup."

Smiling, he crossed to her and gave her a quick peck, "Good night."

"What am I, your grandmother?"  Becca asked, throwing her arms around his neck, "You can do better than that."

Pidge wrapped his arms around her waist and pulled her closer, "You are so pushy."

"Mm hm."

He brought his mouth down on hers in a gentle, drawn out kiss.  She moaned against his mouth and tightened her arms around him.

"Good night, Becs," Pidge whispered.

"Good night."

****************************************

A couple of hours later, Pidge made his way to his room.  They had hit dead end after dead end.  Whoever was doing this was a very talented hacker, they were able to get in undetected and then cover their tracks cleanly.  There had to be something that hinted as to who was doing this.

He stopped outside Becca's door and listened, hoping it would be silent.  The sound of voices told him the televiewer was on.  He raised his hand and knocked quietly.   It went silent as she turned off the televiewer.

"Someone there?"  She called out, hesitantly.

"Bec, it's me."

The door slid open, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, I just wanted to see how you were doing."

"I, uh, I can't really sleep."  She admitted.

He nodded, "Want to talk?"

Becca looked back at her room, "Can we go somewhere else?"

"Sure.  We can go to my room," he took her hand, squeezing it gently.  "We can watch a movie, hang out."

"It's late."  
  


"I don't think I was going to go to sleep any time soon, any way."

"Thanks Pidge."  She said, shutting and locking her door.

"Now, would this be considered our second date?"

"No, more like a continuation of the first."

"Good," Pidge stopped in front of his door.  "No pressure to make this a doozy."

He stepped into the room and stopped short.  Turning, he gently pushed Becca into the hall and unholstered his weapon.  Pidge quickly searched the room and the connecting bathroom.

  
"What is it?"  Becca asked from the door way.

After deciding it was safe, Pidge turned and said, "He was in here too."

"How do you know?"  Her eyes swept the room, it looked fine.  Then she saw the bed.

Pidge walked over to where ripped shreds of green satin lay in the center of his bed.  

                        **Catch me if you can, loverboy.**

The note was scrawled on a piece of paper from his printer and tossed on top of the torn nightgown.


	10. Discussions, Disagreements, and Pidge's ...

Hi!

Thank you guys for your wonderful reviews!  I really do appreciate them.

All relative disclaimers apply.

  
Enjoy,

Failte

***********************************************************

"So they broke into your room too?"  Keith asked.

Nearly every seat around the table in the conference room was taken.  Allura sat at the head of the table with Keith beside her.  Next to him sat Lance, then Darcy, Hunk, Dante, Caleb, Koran, Becca, and Pidge.  Nanny was locked in Schuyler's nursery with the two babies.  Since it was well known that Nanny would protect the children with the ferocity of a mother bear protecting her cubs, they felt safe leaving them with her.

"It looks that way," Pidge said.

"I think we should reconsider you girls taking the kids to Pollux."  Keith told Allura.

She shook her head, "I can't."  
  
"This is getting more dangerous," he pointed out.  "We can't place a guard on you right now and it'll be difficult to place a Force member with you at all times."  
  


Darcy cleared her throat, "Keith, I may be retired, but I am a trained soldier.  I can stand in as a guard."

"No."  Lance said before Keith had a chance to respond.

"You know Darcy's a good soldier," Allura said, ignoring Lance.

Keith rubbed his chin.  "It would help to have an extra set of hands."

"No!"  Lance said louder.

"What is your problem?"  Darcy asked him.

  
"You aren't as strong as you were, we have the baby to think about.  We can handle this without you."

"I'm strong enough, just ask Dr. Gorma.  And none of this will affect Schuyler, if anything this will help.  Like Keith said, it would help to have an extra pair of hands."

"No."  
  


"Is this some kind of Neanderthal man thing?"  Darcy asked.  "You don't want your woman wielding a gun?"

"No, I don't want my woman wielding a gun, but not because you are a woman."

"Why then?"

"Enough!"  Keith slammed his fist on the table.  "You guys can argue this out later.  Right now, we need to figure out what is happening and why Becca and Pidge have been targeted."

"I think we might have a Doom loyalist in our ranks," Hunk spoke up.

"What?"  Keith turned to the large man.

"Think about, Pidge killed Lotor.  What if this is someone trying to seek revenge for that?"

"But why would they have waited so long?"  Dante asked.  "Lotor was killed, what?  Six months ago?"

"Five and a half."  Lance and Darcy said at the same time.

"We've been planning this system upgrade for nearly a year," Pidge said.  "Maybe they've been planning this for a while."

"So we should be looking at guards hired over the past year," Caleb said.  "Someone Lotor would have planted."

"That's a good place to start, but this person could've been planted a while ago and told to lie in wait until an opportunity to infiltrate us arose."  Dante pointed out.

"I'll put together a list of the people hired this past year," Keith ran his hand through his hair.  "Then, Pidge, I want to go over it with you, see who sticks out as a computer whiz."

"No problem," Pidge said.

"I'm going to start that now, I'm not going to get any sleep anyway."

"Keith…"  Allura began.

He shook his head, "I want you and Cady to move in with Darcy for tonight.  I think we should keep you girls together and have someone posted with you."

"Yeah, because we're nothing but helpless females," Darcy muttered.

"Darcy," Lance warned.

"If we're done here," she pushed her chair back and stood.  "I want to check on Schuyler."

"Yeah, go ahead."  Keith waved her off.

Lance looked at Allura, "Feel free to come on over, you guys can bunk with us for now."  He followed his wife out of the room.

"You guys can all go for now," Keith dismissed them.  "I'll meet with you first thing in the morning, Pidge."

"That's alright, Cap, I'll help you out now."

Keith nodded, "Hunk, would you please escort Allura and Becca to Schuyler's nursery.  Allura, when you get the baby, tell Nanny you need a couple of cots."  
  


Allura's jaw twitched, but she nodded.  She hated having to live in fear, but knowing that it was her home that was unsafe made it a thousand times worse.  

**********************************************************

"You're being ridiculous, Lance."  Darcy said as she changed into her pajamas.  She was trying to keep her voice down since Allura and Becca were getting settled in the nursery.

"No, I'm not, Darcy.  You're out of practice, you're not as strong as you were, we have to think about Schuyler…"  
  


"I am thinking about her.  I can handle this, Lance.  I've been working out, I know how to fire a blaster, but if you're worried about that I can start target practice again tomorrow morning."

He sank down on their bed, "I don't want you doing this, Darc."

"I can handle it."  She sat down beside him.

"I know you can, I just don't want you to."

"Why?"

"I had just hoped you wouldn't need to face this type of horror again."

Darcy wrapped her arm around his shoulders and laid her cheek against his shoulder.  "I know that, honey, but you guys need some help, Allura is totally unfit to fight and I _am_ a fully trained soldier."

Lance smiled weakly, "I can't help but think of something Sven told me once."

"What?"

"About how I've stopped seeing you as a soldier, but as de voman I love."  He replied in a bad imitation of Sven's accent.

*****************************************************************

"Are they still fighting?"  Becca whispered.

Allura stopped rocking Cady and listened, "No, I think they're making up now."

Becca rolled her eyes, "So we won't be hearing from them for a while."

The door between the rooms slid open and Darcy walked in with a smile on her face, "You guys settling in alright?"

"Yes," Allura whispered, gently laying Cady down in the travel crib they had brought with them.

"Good," Darcy crossed the room to make sure the door was locked.  "This won't be a permanent thing.  I know how uncomfortable those cots can be.  Do you want to take over our bed, Allura?"

"No, no, I'm fine."  The Queen assured her.

She walked over to the crib and checked to make sure Schuyler was alright.  "I will be taking over as your guard, we'll figure everything out tomorrow.  Good night, guys."

"Good night," Allura said, sitting down on her bed.

Becca yawned, "Good night."

***************************************************************

Schuyler was the first to wake the next morning, followed very quickly by Cady.  

Becca groaned and wrapped her pillow around her head.  But she wasn't allowed to go back to sleep.  It had been decided that for now, Darcy was watching out for the two women, so she had to get up.

"Oh, suck it up," Darcy said cheerfully as she changed Schuyler.

"How can you be so happy this early?"  Becca mumbled from her cot.

"Would you rather I was angry and surly?"

"Yeah."

"Sorry I can't accommodate you."

"What?  Did you get some last night?"  Becca asked sarcastically.

Darcy turned with a smile on her face, "Jealous?"

Becca turned her face into her pillow and groaned, "I don't want to hear about it."

"You brought it up."

Before Becca could answer, there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?"  Darcy asked.

"It's me," Keith called back.

Allura crossed and opened the door, "Is everything alright?"

He shrugged, looking exhausted, "We're working on it.  I thought I would escort you and Cady back to our room so you can get dressed."

"This is ridiculous," Allura sighed.  "Needing an escort to walk down the hall."  
  


"It's just for a little while," he turned to Darcy.  "Did you and Lance work things out?"

"Yeah," she lifted Schuyler off the changing table.  "I'll work as a guard just until this threat has passed."

Keith nodded, "Sounds good.  Hang with Becca for now and I'll come for you when we need you."

"Yes sir," she nodded.

"How're you doing this morning, Becca?"  He asked.

"I could use a couple more hours to sleep in," she replied.

Keith flashed her a weak smile as he lifted Cady out of Allura's arms, "Not when you have two little, living alarm clocks."

"And that's why I don't have kids."

He chuckled, "We'll keep you posted, Darc."

"Yes, sir."

"What do I do now?"  Becca asked her sister after Keith and Allura left.

"Just hang out, relax, stay with me."

Becca fell back on her cot and threw her arm over her eyes, "Great."

Darcy sat on the edge of the cot, setting Schuyler on Becca's stomach, "It's for your own good, Becs."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah," she sat up and tickled her niece.

*******************************************************************

Keith, Lance, and Pidge sat in Keith's study, going over the list of guards in front of them.  This was their second day of narrowing down the lists.  They had whittled it down to a list of eleven guards who had been hired over the past year who had great knowledge of computers.   The next day, Keith was going to start 'work evaluations' and sit down and talk to these guards to see if they say anything that leads them to think this was the person.

Pidge's mind was elsewhere.  He was staring past the desk to the window.

"You okay, man?"  Lance asked, interrupting his thoughts.

"Uh, yeah," Pidge chewed on the end of his pen, looking at his two teammates.  

"Alright then, we'll start the evaluations tomorrow, going in alphabetical order."  Keith said.

"Do you, uh, do you guys think whoever is doing this really is after me because I shot Lotor?"

Keith laid his papers down and looked at Pidge, "We don't know for sure, but it is a possibility."

"So if Becca's in danger, then it's because of me?"

Lance leaned forward, "No, if she's in danger it's because of whoever is doing this."

Pidge looked at him, but didn't say anything.

"Listen, man, I know what you're thinking, I was thinking the same thing back when Lotor was after me.  But you can't let whoever this is come between you."

Pidge nodded.

"You're exhausted, Pidge," Keith said.  "Why don't you go get some sleep."

"I'm no more tired than you are," Pidge pointed out.

Keith looked at Lance and realized he was right.  "Alright, Dante and Caleb are on duty over night tonight.  I think if we're going to start the evaluations tomorrow we should all get a good night's sleep.  Meet back here at 0700 tomorrow morning."

Pidge piled his notes together and handed them to Keith.  Instead of going straight to his room though, he went for a walk to try and clear his mind.  It was cool outside, a slight nip in the air.  He made his way out and around the lake.

_This is the second time someone I care about is in danger because of me,_ he thought.  _It would be easy to think I could protect her, but I wasn't able to protect Renata.  What is with me?   Every time I fall in love with someone, they're going to be threatened?_  He reached down and picked up a rock, skipping it across the lake.  He started when he realized what he had just thought._  Am I in love with her?  I've known her for a year, she is an amazing friend and I am having a great time with her._

Pidge sank to his knees beside the lake.  He knew it was true and had been true before she had even set foot on Arus a couple weeks before.  _I am in love with her.  I wasn't sure if what I felt for Renata was love, but I know this is.  Oh God, what do I do if something happens to her?  It would be all my fault…again._

Becca was up in the nursery with Darcy.  Keith had just come and taken Allura and Cady back to their room and she was kind of hoping Pidge would come and break her out of what was beginning to feel more and more like a prison.  Lance was in their room taking a shower and Darcy was changing Schuyler into her pajamas.

"I was thinking," Darcy said.  "Once I put Schuyler down, we can leave Lance on Dad duty and we can get out of this room.  I swear, the walls are starting to close in on me.  The only place, besides these rooms, I've gone to in the last two days was when we escorted Allura to her study.  That was a fun field trip."

"Okay," Becca sat in the rocking chair, tapping her fingers impatiently on the arm.

"We can raid the kitchen and then take over the rec room."

"Sounds good."

"Or we can steal Black Lion and scamper through Alforia."

"Mm hm."

Darcy settled the baby on her hip and turned to her sister, "Want to talk about it, Becs?"

"What?"

"Whatever's on your mind."

Becca stood, allowing her sister to take over the rocking chair, "Nothing really."

"You know you're safe, right?"

"Yeah, I know."  
  


"Then what is it?"  Darcy kept her voice low while she rocked her daughter.

"Is Pidge in danger?"  
  


"He's a very talented soldier.  He can take care of himself and he has the entire Force to back him up."

Lance entered the nursery, "Is everything alright?"

"Yeah, just try to allay some of Becca's fears."  Darcy told him.

Lance threw an arm around his sister-in-law's shoulders, "Everything will be fine, you have nothing to worry about.  I'm just sorry this happened on your vacation."

She shrugged, "It makes for a more exciting vacation.  I kind of wish I was still in grade school so I could write a 'What I Did Over My Summer Holiday' essay."

"Thatta girl," Lance grinned at her.  "I bet not one of your friends back on Terra have…" He stopped when there was a knock on the door.

Lance unholstered his weapon and crept to the door.  A tense silence hung in the air.  Darcy had stopped rocking and was clutching Schuyler to her shoulder, looking ready to run at any moment.

"Who is it?"  Lance asked through the door.

"It's me."  Pidge said.

Lance turned the safety back on and slid the gun into his holster, punching in the code to open the door.  "You okay, man?"

"Yeah, I was, uh, I was hoping I could talk to Becca."

"Looks like you found your escape," Darcy whispered.

Lance grabbed Becca's arm as she walked by, "Just knock on our door when you come back."  He lowered his voice, "_If you come back tonight."_

She blushed and pulled her arm from his grasp, "Okay."

Becca followed Pidge out of the room.  "Thank you.  The walls were starting to close in on me."  She went to take his hand, but noticed they were stuffed deep in his pockets, so she threaded her arm through his.

Pidge stiffened when he felt her touch him. _This is not going to be easy_, he thought as he smelled her shampoo when she laid her head on his shoulder.

"It's not that I don't enjoy being with Darcy and Schuyler, it's just that I wish we could get out more.  We've spent two days in the nursery and Allura's study."  She lifted her head and whispered into his ear, "I was really hoping you would come and break me out."

"Yeah," he mumbled, punching in the new code that unlocked and opened the door.  Out of habit, he did a quick sweep of the room before shutting and locking the door.  "We, uh, we need to talk, Bec."

Becca felt herself go cold with dread.  "Okay."

Pidge led her over to the chair beside the window and began to pace in front of her.  "I've been doing a lot of thinking, Bec, and I feel it would be best if we didn't see each other any more."

Her mouth fell open, "What?"

"Well, I mean I'd like us to still be friends, your friendship is important to me.  I just don't think we should have ever gone beyond being friends."

Becca bit her lip to stop it from trembling, "Are you serious?"

"Yes."  He looked over her shoulder, out the window, unable to look her in the eye.  "I am."

"If, uh, if that's how you feel."  Becca's voice shook as she stood.

He nodded, still unable to look at her.

"I hope," she stopped and cleared her throat.  "I hope we can still be friends."

"I'll, uh, I'll walk you back to Lance's room."

She shook her head, "No, I think I can walk twenty feet without you."  
  


"Becca…"

"No, Pidge."

He watched from the doorway as she walked down the hall and knocked on Lance and Darcy's door.  When the door shut behind her, Pidge turned and went back into his room.  Falling back across his bed, he threw an arm over his eyes and fought the feelings of dread and pain that rose up within him.


	11. Stay Calm

"Becca?  Are you okay?  What happened?"  Darcy jumped off her bed when she saw her sister walk into the room, her eyes red.

"He broke up with me," she whispered.

"What?"  Darcy was shocked.  She wrapped her arms around her sister and hugged her.

"He broke up with you?"  Lance asked as the door slid shut behind him.

Becca sat on the bed beside Darcy and nodded, feeling the tears run down her cheeks.

"But I don't understand why he would do that," Darcy said.  "You guys seemed to really hit it off."

Becca shrugged, wiping her eyes with the back of her hand.

"I know why."  
  


They both looked up at Lance.

"What do you know?"  Darcy asked.

"He thinks he's protecting you from whoever is doing this."

"No," Becca shook her head.  "He said we should have never gone beyond just being friends.  He just doesn't like me that way."

"What?  Are you blind?"  Lance knelt in front of her.  "Becca, he's crazy about you.  But the stupid moron is afraid that being involved with him puts you in danger."

"I don't understand, this isn't his fault."

"No, it's not, but after what happened to Renata…"

"This is the stupidest thing I've ever heard!"  Becca declared.

Lance smirked, "Bec, you gotta understand that when a man is in love, he doesn't always think straight when his woman is involved."

"He's not in love with me."

Lance sighed and fell back onto the floor, "Becca!  God!  You're as dense as he is, aren't you?"

"If he was in love with me he wouldn't have broken up with me."

"It's because he _is_ in love with you that he broke up with you."

Becca's mouth fell open, "What kind of reasoning is that?"

"Stupid male reasoning," Darcy muttered.

"Listen to me," Lance sat up and placed his hands on Becca's knees.  "In his mind, whoever is doing this will leave you alone if you're not involved with him."

Becca stood up so fast, Lance fell back on the floor.

"What are you doing?"  Darcy asked.

Becca snarled in response.

  
"Lance," Darcy nodded toward her sister as she stormed across the room.

Lance jumped to his feet and beat her to the door, opening it and watching as she hurried down the hall.

***********************************************************

Pidge lay on his back, staring at the ceiling in his room.  It had been the most difficult thing he had ever done, but he knew it had been the right thing.  _She'll get over it.  She's only here for a month and a half.  As long as I keep busy with the investigation, the time will pass by quickly._

The pounding on his door startled him, but it didn't really surprise him.   Becca was a stubborn girl and not afraid to speak her mind.  Sighing deeply, he slowly pushed himself up and crossed the room.

"Come on, Pidge, I know you're in there."

He slid the door opened and looked at her.  That was a mistake.  She looked back at him, pale, her eyes red, and she was seriously pissed off.

"We need to talk."  Her voice was curt.

"Look, Bec, I don't…"

"No," she pushed her way past him, sat on the edge of his bed, and crossed her arms.

He decided to try another tactic.  "Becca, you have no right to just burst into my room!  I'm going to have to demand you leave."

"No."

"Why are you doing this?"

"Because I think you're full of crap."

Pidge shut the door and turned to face her, "Excuse me?"

"You heard me."

"Yeah, I did."

Becca stood and crossed to stand in front of him, "At no point while you were trying to break up with me did you look me in the eye."

"_Trying_ to break up with you?"

She crossed her arms and raised her eyebrows.

"You're only making this more difficult, Rebecca."

"This can't possibly be any more difficult than you've already made it."  Her voice cracked.

He turned away and walked over to the window.  It was a beautiful evening.  The sound of her voice breaking started to crack his resolve.  "I don't know how else to make this clear, Becca, I don't want to see you any more."

"Liar."

His shoulders slumped, "Why can't you…"  
  


"Look me in the eye," she interrupted.  "Look me in the eye and tell me you don't want to see me anymore."  
  


Pidge took a deep breath and turned to face her.  She had moved and was now standing about a foot away from him.  He lifted his eyes and met her expectant gaze with his defeated one.

"I don't think we should see each other any more."  He whispered.

Becca struck out and punched him hard in the arm, "Bull."

"Ow!  Dammit!"

"You and your misguided sense of duty!"  She punched him again.

"Ow!  Stop it!  What are you talking about?"

"Can you honestly say you don't have feelings for me?"

"No, I can't," he rubbed his arm.  "You're my friend.  Of course I care about you."

"Be honest with me."  She stood with her hands on her hips, her eyes wide and wet.  "Are you doing this to try and protect me?"

He sighed and ran his hands through his hair, "We have no idea what we're up against here, Becca."

She let out a little cry, "So that is why you did this."  She smacked his arm.

"Stop hitting me!"

"Stop being so stupid!"

"I'm not being stupid!"

"Then you're a coward!"  
  


He glared at her, "What?'

She lowered her voice and spoke slowly, "You…are…a…_coward."_

As a member of the Voltron Force, Pidge wasn't used to being called a coward.  "Yeah, well, you're a pushy, annoying, pain in the ass!"

"At least I'm not a coward!"

"Why am I a coward?"

"Because you're so afraid of this person, you're letting him dictate our lives."

"It's not that simple, Becca."  
  


She felt herself losing her nerve.  "Pidge, I know how I feel about you and I _thought I knew how you felt about me.  But I also thought you were stronger than this."_

He sat on the edge of the bed and put his face in his hands.  

Becca watched him, but he didn't move and he didn't speak.  After a few moments, she sat down beside him.  "What is it, Pidge?"  She asked gently.

He dropped his hands and rubbed his palms on his jeans.  "I…I can't," he sighed.  "I can't guarantee I can protect you."

"Pidge, you don't have to."

"Yes I do."  He raised his red eyes to hers.

"I can take care of myself.  I'm not helpless."

He rubbed his arm where she had punched him, "Oh, I know you're not helpless."

"Then why, Pidge?"

"I don't know, it seemed to make sense an hour ago."

Becca looked out the window, feeling a little better, but confused.  "Are we still broken up?"  She whispered.

He shrugged.

She closed her eyes and tried to keep from crying.  The fight was no longer in her.  "I just don't understand Pidge.  How could us breaking up be a good thing?  How could you think that?"

"I didn't want you in the middle of all this."

"Too late."

"I don't want you in any deeper."

"Stop trying to be so noble.  What are you trying to protect me from?"

"That's the problem.  I don't know who or what we're up against?  What if something happens?  What if I can't protect you?"

"You don't have to."

"Yes I do!"

"Why?"

"Because I love you and if anything happened to you I don't know what I would do!"

Becca's mouth fell open in shock.

Pidge rubbed his hands over his face.  With a shaking voice he continued.  "I have lost so many people who were important to me.  My parents, my grandparents, my sister, my entire family except for my brother Chip, Renata.  Now we have this threat and I don't know what's going to happen next.  I don't want to lose you."

She wrapped her arm around his shoulder and pressed a gentle kiss to his temple, "Then explain to me how you're _not losing me by breaking up with me."_

He laughed softly and turned to pull her into a hug, "I don't know, it made sense an hour ago."

Becca buried her face in his shoulder as the tears that had been threatening to fall finally did, soaking his shirt.

"I'm sorry," he whispered as he hugged her tightly to him.  He felt incredibly guilty about upsetting her like this.

She sniffed and pulled back to look at him, "Are we still broken up?"

"I, uh, I guess that's up to you," he mumbled.

She sniffled and wiped her wet cheeks with the back of her hand, answering indignantly, "Nice to know I finally get a say in this."

He cupped her face in his hands and wiped her cheeks with his thumbs, "I'm an idiot."

"Well, we can agree on that."

Pidge leaned forward and rested his forehead on hers, "Are we still broken up?"

Becca sat up straight and feigned irritation, "I can only give you one more chance.  You try to break up with me again and we're through."

"Deal," he whispered.

She turned and punched him in the arm again.  "I can't believe you were going to break up with me!"

"Hit me again and you'll regret it," he growled.

She looked at him and raised an eyebrow, "Well, now I'm curious."  She smacked his arm.

With a speed that left her speechless, Pidge had her on her back and was bracing himself above her, "You're a glutton for punishment."

Becca stuck out her lower lip, "I'm still hurt."

He toyed with her hair, "I'm sorry, Rebecca, I thought I was doing the right thing."

"I think that next time you should try talking to me before you try to kick me out of your life."

"That sounds fair."  He leaned down and kissed her.

Becca wrapped her arms around his neck, holding him in place against her.  He broke the kiss and began running his lips across her cheek, down her throat.  She untucked his shirt and slid her hands underneath, feeling his muscles contract as her fingers skimmed over his skin.  He moaned against her throat and rolled over so she was on top.

Pidge pulled her hands out from under his shirt, "Watch it."

"Why?"  She asked, playfully.

"You know why."

Sighing, Becca pulled her hands from his and slid his glasses off his face, setting them on the bed beside them.  She toyed with his hair while she leaned down to gently kiss him.  When she pulled back, he still had his eyes closed.  "You're very handsome," she whispered.

Pidge opened one eye and looked at the slightly blurry image of her face hovering above him.  "Why thank you."

"Did you mean what you said earlier?"

"About what?"

"About, um, about how you feel."  Becca felt herself blush.

Pidge laced his fingers through her hair and pulled her head down so he could press his mouth to her ear.  "I love you, Rebecca."

She buried her face into his throat and murmured something against his skin.  He knew what she said, but he wanted to hear her say it clearly.  "What was that?"  He asked.

She lifted her head and crossed her arms over his chest, "I think I love you too."

"You _think_?"

"Well, I am still hurt that you tried to break up with me."

"You're going to milk this for all you can get, aren't you?"  He crossed his hands over the small of her back.

"Yes I am."  She stroked his cheek with her finger.  "But I have never felt anything like this for anyone before."

"Never?"

"Never."  She giggled when she heard his stomach rumble.  "Didn't you have dinner?"

"No, we worked straight through."

"Wanna go raid the kitchen?"  

"That sounds like fun."

Becca rolled off him and smiled when he groaned.  "Come on, we'll have a romantic dinner."

"Romantic?"

She took his hands and tried to pull him up, "Yeah, you still have some making up to do, so it better be romantic."

He groaned again, "I'm going to have to work for this, aren't I?"

"Oh yeah.  Get up.  I'm going to use your bathroom."  Becca walked into the bathroom and flipped on the light.  She couldn't help but blush when she saw her reflection in the mirror.  She was pale and her eyes were red and swollen, red tear streaks ran down her cheeks and her hair was sticking out in different directions.  She pulled his comb through her hair and washed her face.  Her eyes were still swollen but not as red.

When she walked out of the bathroom, Pidge stood in the middle of the room, shirtless.  She couldn't help but gasp at the sight of his well formed torso.

"Geez, Bec, will you look at this?"  He turned to show her his arm where a large bruise was forming.  "Where did you learn to hit like that?"

"Oh, God, Pidge I am so sorry, I don't know my own strength."   She walked over to him.

He saw how upset she was and smiled, "It's okay, Bec, I've had worse."

"No, I'm sorry."  She reached out and gently touched his arm.  "We should get some ice on that."

"Becca, I'm fine."

Her eyes roamed over his chest and she fought the urge to run her hands over it.

"Becca."

She looked up, blushing.  

"You okay?"  He asked, smiling.

"You're pretty hot," she teased, giving into her urge and ran her fingertips down his chest.

He turned bright red as he grabbed the t-shirt he had pulled from his drawer and yanked it down over his head.

"You're even hotter when you're blushing."

"Stop it," he mumbled as he strapped his blaster to his belt.

"At least I hit you high enough so the shirt sleeve covers the bruise."

He took her hand as they left the room, "Yeah, I would hate to have to explain to the guys that I was beat up by my girlfriend."

"You did deserve it though."

"I know.  Just remind me to never piss you off."

"It actually takes a lot to piss me off.  I'm usually not that violent."  

"I'm going to remind you of that next time you try to hit me."

"As long as you don't try to break up with me, I won't try to hit you."

He chuckled, "You have a deal."

The kitchen was empty when they arrived.  Pidge flipped on the lights and shut the door behind them.  "What did Nanny make for dinner?"

"Some ham dish with cheesy potatoes."

"Any left?"

"I don't think so."

Pidge began ruffling through the refrigeration unit.  "What're you hungry for?"

"Surprise me."

"Ohh…hamburgers.  Want one?"  Pidge pulled out a container of ground meat.

"Sure."

She watched as he fired up the stove and pulled out a grilling pan.  He heated the pan and went about forming the patties and adding spices.

"Where did you learn to cook?"  She asked as he laid the patties on the hot pan.

"No one else on the Force could, I had to pick up the slack."

"Really?"

"Lance thinks making a peanut butter sandwich is cooking, Keith can't boil water, and Hunk just likes to eat."

"Is there anything you can't do?"

He gave her a sly look, "Nope." 

"What can I do?"

"Nothing, I'm still trying to make up."

"Good answer."

Pidge walked over to a radio sitting on the counter and flipped it on.  Nanny always had it on the news station, so he turned the dial until he found some soft music.

"Nice touch," Becca smiled.

He gave her a quick kiss as he walked past her.

They chatted about nothing in particular.  It was almost like they had left all that had been happening at the door and when Pidge had shut it, all the worries and fears were out in the hall.  He set her burger on a plate and placed it in front of her.

"I'm impressed," she told him, taking a bite out of it.

"Hey, I'm good."

"Yes you are."

They continued flirting in a silly, juvenile way that made them both giggle.

"Maybe tomorrow I can talk Keith into letting me have a couple of hours tomorrow night.  We can watch a movie."  Pidge suggested.

"What do you have in mind?"

"I was thinking _Star Wars_."

"_Star Wars_?"

"Not you too!"  He exclaimed.  "Seriously, do they not have movies in Canada?  How is it possible that neither you nor your sister saw the _Star Wars_ movies before coming here?"

"We have better things to do with our time."

"We'll have to see what we can…"  Pidge stopped and dropped his burger.

"What…?"

He held up his hand to shut her up.  There was a low click.

"What was that?"  Becca asked nervously.

"The door just locked."  Taking his gun in hand, Pidge crossed to the door.  He tried to punch in a code, but saw that the small screen only read back gibberish.  He swore under his breath.

"What do we do?"  Becca asked.

The lights went out and they were plunged into a silent darkness.

"Stay calm," Pidge replied.


	12. Elsewhere

Elsewhere in the castle while Pidge and Becca were in the kitchen…

******************************************************************

Darcy looked down at her husband.  She was leaning back on a couple of pillows and Lance was lying with his head on her chest and his arm wrapped around her middle.  He was sound asleep.  The televiewer was on low, broadcasting news from across the universe.  She toyed with a lock of his hair.  Something, she wasn't sure what, was gnawing on her mind.  

He groaned in his sleep as he felt her try to slide out from under him.  "Where you goin'?"  He mumbled.

"I just want to check on the baby."

Lance loosened his grip on her and let her slide out of the bed.  A moment later he sensed her return, but she didn't get back into bed.  Instead, he heard a soft sigh.  Opening one eye, he saw Schuyler lying beside him.

"What are you doing?"  Lance asked his wife as he rolled onto his side.

"Well, I don't think Becca's coming back tonight and I don't want Schuyler in the nursery alone."  
  
"But we have the door open, she won't be alone."

"I don't know.  It's a feeling I have.  Just go with it."  Darcy told him, standing over the bed.  

"Okay, but she can't sleep in the bed with us, that's not safe."

"I know, I'm going to bring her crib in here."

Lance sighed and pushed the covers back, "I'll get it."

"No, no.  I got it, it's on wheels.  You're exhausted."

"Okay," Lance fell back on the bed and gently stroked Schuyler's back.  He watched as Darcy pushed the crib into the room, around the bed and stopped in front of the window where she kicked the brakes back on and steadied the crib.

"You want to talk about it?" Lance asked as she picked Schuyler up and soothingly rubbed her back.

"It's just a feeling I have.  I don't think she should be alone tonight."

"Come here," Lance held his hand out and gently pulled the two towards him.  "Everything will be alright, baby," he wrapped his arm around Darcy's shoulders and pulled her to him.

"I know," she laid her head on his shoulder and watched their little girl sleep in her arms.

"You're turning into a worrier."

"So, do you think Pidge and Becca made up?"

"Smooth way to change the subject and yes, I think they did."

"You need to get some sleep, Lance, you're exhausted."

"I'm fine," he softly ran his finger down the baby's arm.

"When are you meeting with Keith?"

"0700."

"Get some sleep, honey, I'll put the baby down." 

Lance laid back and watched her carry Schuyler to the crib, "Should you keep the crib by the window, the sun will wake her."

Darcy turned to him with a smile, "Honey, have you ever known the sun to be up before your daughter?"

Lance sat straight up in bed and whipped his head toward the door.

"What is it?"  Darcy asked.

"I think the door just locked."

"But…"  She was cut off when the door to the nursery slid shut.

Lance jumped out of bed and started toward the door.  

Then there was darkness.

*********************************************************

"Do you need anything?"  Keith whispered.

He and Allura were cuddled up in bed.  She was leaning against him and he had his arms wrapped around her, gently stroking her swollen stomach.

"I don't need a thing right now," she murmured.

Cady was curled up beside her, clutching her blankie, her thumb hanging from her slightly opened mouth.  The bedside lamp glowed softly, reflecting off her blonde curls.  Allura had also felt unsettled and had asked Keith to bring their little girl in to their room.  Blaming it on hormones, she told him she was having a strange feeling and wanted Cady with them.  Keith indulged her, planning on returning the baby to her crib after Allura fell asleep.

"Do you think she's getting to be too big for a crib?"  Allura whispered, stroking Cady's golden head.

"I think we can wait a few more months."  Keith told her.

"She's getting so big."

"Don't sound so wistful," he teased.  "You've got two more babies coming."

She sighed.

"What is it?"

"How do you think she's going to react to the babies?"

"She'll be fine.  I'll make sure she has plenty of attention while you're changing diapers."  

Allura smiled, "Thanks for the support, sweetie."

"That's why I'm here."  He nuzzled her throat.

"You need to get some sleep."

"I will."

"Keith…"

"Once I see that you're asleep."

She turned her head to look at him over her shoulder, "You're being silly.  I dozed off this evening, I'm wide awake right now.  If you wait for me, you'll be up for hours."

"Then I'll be up for hours," he whispered, kissing her cheek.

Allura sighed and laid her head back, enjoying the feel of his arms around her and the soft curls of her daughter's hair beneath her hand.

Keith leaned back against the pillows, holding her to him.  He was happiest at moments like this when his family was within reach and he knew they were safe.  His eyes drifted shut and he fell into a light doze.

Allura heard the soft click.  "Keith?"

"Hm?"  
  


"I just heard something."

He stiffened and tightened his arms around her, awake and alert.  "What was it?"

"A quiet click," she whispered. "Like…like the door locking."

Keith slid out from beneath her and Allura gathered Cady on her lap.  He grabbed his communicator and stepped to the door.  

Everything went dark.


	13. A Traitor Among Us

I am so bad, aren't I?  Sorry, I can't resist a good cliffhanger :)

Thank you all for your wonderful reviews.  I really appreciate them and I am so glad you're enjoying my story.

Just an added note:  I was thinking about putting this in my note on the first chapter of this story, but for some reason, I decided against it.  In this little story of mine, I consider the characters to be a bit older than they were in the series. It is one of the many liberties I have taken.  So to clarify, here is what I think their ages are in this particular story:

Keith, Hunk, Sven - 27

Lance – 26

Dante, Romelle – 25

Pidge, Allura, Darcy – 23

Caleb – 22

Rebcca - 21

I know, I know…Sven and Romelle haven't been in this story, not that I don't love them, I have so much fun writing all of these characters, I just don't like putting in characters just to have them there, but if the need should arrive for them to visit, I'm sure they will.

Thank you guys!  
Failte

****************************************************************

"What do we do now?"  Becca whispered.

Pidge put one hand out in front of him and felt his way along the counter.  "I'm going to get out a flashlight.  We should be hearing from Keith any second now, if we don't I will try to contact him.

She listened as he opened and slammed a couple of drawers, ruffling through them.  "Aha!"  He proclaimed as a beam of light cut across the room.  "And there's Keith."  Pidge said as he unclipped his communicator.

Keith had contacted the entire Force all at once, "Roll call."

"Collier," Lance said.  "All three of us in our room."

Hunk replied, "Landers.  In my room."

"Audric and Becca's here too."  Pidge told them.  "We're in the kitchen."

"Addison, Castle Control."

"Marshall, in my room."

"And the three of us are here in our room," Keith said.  "Dante, you're on duty."

"Yes sir."

"What's going on?"

"Power just went out, sir.  No warning.  Pvt. Latham is here.  He offered to go check on the generators…"

"No!"  Keith interrupted sharply.  "Stay where you are.  Is everyone else able to get to Castle Control?"

"Yes."  The five other members of the Force replied.

Becca looked around the room, not seeing another door.

"Be there within two minutes.  Dante don't leave your post and don't let Latham out of your sight."

"Yes sir."

Pidge snapped the communicator shut and looked up at Becca, "Ready to go?"

Keith, Lance, Hunk, and Caleb all crossed to their closets with flashlights in hand.  Each of their closets had false backs hiding doorways that led to the hidden pathways to the catacombs.  They not only led outside, but to other rooms in the Castle as well, including Castle Control.  

Keith carefully stepped through, cradling Cady to his shoulder.  He turned and offered Allura a hand, helping her.  One floor down and a couple of hallways over, Lance took a crying Schuyler from her mother and waited for Darcy to cross through the doorway.

"Where are you going?"  He called as she disappeared back into the room.

"Just a sec," She called back, swearing as she banged her shin on a bedside table.

"Darcy, we don't have time for this!"  He said over the baby's cries.

"Trust me, you'll thank me for this!"

Lance listened impatiently while he heard her going through their room.  "Shhh, Sky, its okay," he swayed and rubbed her back, trying to calm her.

"Here," Darcy pushed her way through the closet, holding a pacifier in front of her.

Lance took it, gratefully, and held it to Schuyler's mouth.  
  


"I don't think a screaming baby will help us in our quest to find a traitor."  Darcy whispered.

Lance shook his head and handed her the baby.  He took Darcy's hand in his and aimed the flashlight ahead of them with the other.

"Pidge said Becca's with him, right?"  She asked as they walked swiftly down the hall.

"Yeah, I'm sure she's fine."  
  


In the kitchen, Becca watched, holding the flashlight, while Pidge fought with a hidden door in the back of the pantry.  The light wavered as she clutched it tightly in her shaking hands.

"This door hasn't been used in a long time," Pidge muttered through gritted teeth as he threw his shoulder into it. 

After what seemed like an eternity, although only a few seconds had passed, the door creaked and groaned.  Dust and dirt fell to the ground as the door inched open.  

Pidge stepped back and wiped his hands on his pants, "Nanny isn't going to be too happy when she sees that mess."

"Pidge."

"It's alright, Bec, we'll get to Castle Control and find out who is doing this.  I set up a firewall so whoever did this had to do it from Castle Control, there is no way they can hide now."

"Do you…do you think it's Dante?"  Becca whispered.

"No.  Well, I don't want to think it's him.  Latham was with him."

"Latham?  He's the one who helped Lance get my stuff off the ship, right?  He seems like a nice guy."

Pidge took her hand and started through the passageway.  "Just keep close to me, but you don't need to break my hand."

"Sorry," she loosened her grip.

The flashlight's beam wasn't very large.  Shadows bounced off the stone walls and Becca felt her heart beating so hard she thought she could hear the sound echoing off the walls.

Pidge stopped suddenly.

"What is it?"  Becca whispered.

"I thought I heard something."

  
"Wouldn't it be one of the guys?"

"No, we're on opposite sides of the castle, we shouldn't be crossing paths."  Pidge took her hand and lowered it so she was clutching the back of his belt.  "Just listen to me and do what I tell you to."  He whispered as he unholstered his gun and swept the flashlight in front of them.  "Who's there?  Show yourself."

*************************************************

Cady laid her head on her father's shoulder.  Her eyes were heavy, but she fought to keep them open.  There was so much excitement. She couldn't understand what was going on, but in later years her mother would tell her the story, she was there when they discovered the traitor.  Feeling the vibrations in his chest and throat as her father gave out orders, her thumb slipped from her mouth and her eyelids fell.

It was quite an image, a combination of the leader of the most powerful Force in the Universe and a doting father.  While Keith stood beside Dante at the main console, telling everyone what to do, he swayed from side to side rocking his daughter.  Allura sat in the chair beside him, resting her hands over her stomach.  Koran, who had raced to Caste Control with the others, stood behind her taking in the scene around him and offering advice, one hand on the young woman's shoulder.

Lance and Hunk had run down to check the generators while Caleb waited beside the main computer terminal for the power to come back.  Darcy paced the room, waiting for Pidge and her sister while trying to calm Schuyler.

"Keith?"  Darcy spoke up.

He looked at her, knowing what she was going to ask.  He looked down at the lit face of his watch and sighed.  "They do have further to come.  The passage actually has to go back around the kitchen and under Castle Control."

"But should it take this long?"

"We'll give them sixty more seconds…ah, there they are."  Keith unclipped his communicator and shifted Cady.  "Whitaker."

"Captain."  It was Hunk.

"Yeah, Hunk, what is it?"

"Whoever did this cut some of the wires, it'll be a couple of minutes."

"Alright.  You haven't seen or heard from Pidge, have you?"

"No."

Keith nodded, "Get to work then.  Thanks Hunk."

"No problem."

Keith snapped the communicator shut and looked at his watch.  "Thirty more seconds."  He told Darcy.

She sighed deeply, annoyed with his hesitation but also knowing they didn't have enough trustworthy people to send out a search party.

****************************************************

"Lieutenant Audric?"

Pidge kept his weapon level and raised the flashlight.  "Corporal Cheyen?  What are you doing here, soldier?"

"I, uh, I thought I heard some disturbances in the hidden passageway and then the lights went out.  I thought I would investigate."

Pidge didn't lower the gun, "Did you report to Lt. Addison, who is on duty, that you noticed a disturbance?"

"There was no answer, sir."

Pidge watched the young soldier in front of him, his hands raised.  Cheyen had been with them for over two years, just after Rankin and Paget's wedding.  He knew his way around the computers, but he had proven himself time and again to be loyal to the Royal House of Arus.  

"Sir?"

Pidge felt Becca tighten her grip on his belt.  

"Corporal, I want you to hand me your blaster, very slowly, and then slowly turn around, keep your hands where I can see them and walk toward Castle Control.  Don't try anything funny, I will not hesitate to shoot."

Cheyen's eyes widened in fear, "Sir?  What are you doing?"

"He sent you here after Rankin's wedding.  He told you to lay in wait for his word.  You helped to get Fatina hired, you delivered her information to Dr. Gorma.  You helped them get into the castle when they attacked Darcy and Lance."  Pidge said, anger cursing through him.

"What are you talking about?"  Cheyen's voice shook slightly.

"You were with me through the entire computer upgrade, you know it almost as well as I do.  Those were your instructions.  You were told to infiltrate us from the inside, gain our trust and find away to bring down the castle from within."

"Sir?"

"Pidge," Becca whispered.  "We should go to Castle Control."

"Very slowly, with your hands raised, turn around."  Pidge ordered.

Cheyen slowly began to turn, "I don't know what you're talking about."  

Pidge thought of the mess in Becca's room, the torn nightgown in his room.  This man had invaded their privacy, frightened Becca, and made their lives miserable over the past couple of weeks.  He had no sympathy or patience for him.  

A beeping sound filled the hallway.  Pidge looked down for a split second.  He moved to hand Becca the flashlight while he unclipped his communicator.  In that split second, Cheyen kicked up, knocking the blaster from Pidge's hand, sending it skidding across the stone floor.

Becca gasped and jumped back as Cheyen tackled Pidge.

"You son of a bitch," Pidge snarled as he fought to get Cheyen off him.

"Me?"  Cheyen's voice rose to near hysterics.  "You!  You are the monster who killed my master!"

The communicator continued beeping, but it was ignored as Pidge fought back and Becca looked around helplessly for a way to help.

"Your master was the monster," Pidge grunted as he rolled over, pinning the Corporal beneath him.  "You come into our home, you try to frighten us, you invade our privacy…you're going to pay you little piece of shit."

Cheyen bucked up and flipped Pidge off him.  He went for the blaster in his thigh holster, but Becca was quicker, she grabbed Pidge's gun and aimed it at him with shaking hands.

Cheyen grinned at her, "Come on, little girl, you don't want to play with a gun.  Give it to me."

Finding new strength from anger, Pidge tackled Cheyen.  They were once again in a fierce tussle.  Becca watched them, still clutching the weapon.  Pidge fought to grab the weapon in Cheyen's holster, but the Corporal's insane devotion to the memory of Lotor drove him to fight hard.  

She flinched when she heard Pidge grunt as he took a punch to the stomach.  Cheyen flipped them over, slamming Pidge's head on the stone floor, stunning him.  He stood and looked at Becca, slowly unholstering his gun. 

"Drop the weapon, sugar, you're more likely to hurt yourself than me."

*********************************************************

"Lance," Keith called into his communicator.  "I need you up here now!"

"What is it, Cap?"

"Pidge and Becca haven't made it to Castle Control yet," he explained as he handed Cady to Koran.  "He isn't answering his communicator, but we've traced the tracking device to the passage behind the kitchen.  I want you to investigate with me."

  
"Yes sir, I'll meet you in the passage where it intersects the catacombs."

"Twenty seconds, Lieutenant."  Keith snapped the communicator shut.  "Dante, let me know if he contacts Castle Control.  Keep everyone else in here for now.  If we need back up, send Caleb.  If Hunk finishes with the generators, send him."

"Yes, sir."  Dante saluted.

"Keith."

He turned to look at Darcy as he hurried across Castle Control.  "No, Darcy, stay here.  Your position is to protect Allura and the babies.  Don't argue, you are not coming."

"Be careful," she called weakly.

**********************************************************

Becca watched him approach her in the shadows created by the fallen flashlight.  Her heart raced and her eyes shifted to Pidge who was trying to rise.

His head was swimming, but Pidge knew Becca was in trouble.  He raised himself up onto all fours and felt his arms weaken as he pitched forward.  When he heard Becca quietly whimper, he steeled himself and pushed up.

"Back off," Becca said weakly, aiming Pidge's gun at Cheyen.

"You've never fired a gun before, have you?  It's not as easy as you think."  He taunted.

"There's only one way to find out."

"You're shaking so hard that if you fired it, you would miss me by a mile."  Cheyen caught the movement of her eyes and whirled to see Pidge lurching toward him.  "Fool," he muttered, raising his own weapon.  

Becca didn't know who fired first, but she did know they both fired.  She heard the sound of feet running and Lance grabbed her as her knees gave out beneath her.


	14. Injured

Hi!

Wow, I am so glad you guys are all enjoying my story!

RedLion2~ Thank you so much for your never ending support and reviews! 

Craze & KarenVForce~ My first two fanfics were actually K&A, but I have to admit, I'm not too impressed with my first fic.  My second fic was a fluffy song fic about the two of them.  I've been thinking about your recommendation and I've already started putting the fic together in my mind.  So watch for one coming soon ;-) 

QuikerKookie, Queen Merla, Anony ~ You guys are awesome!  Thanks!

  
I really do enjoy and appreciate your reviews.  Thank you so much!

Enjoy,

Failte

************************************************************

Lance felt his sister-in-law shaking uncontrollably as Keith knelt beside Pidge.  "Come on kiddo, I need you to stay with me.  Becs, I need you to walk."

"Lance?"  She whispered.

"Yeah, snap out of it," he said harshly.  "We need your help."

Bewildered, Becca looked down at the smoking blaster in her hand and then at the two men lying on the floor.  The weapon slipped from her hand as she saw the dark pool gathering beneath Pidge.  "Oh God!  What happened?"

"You shot Cheyen," Lance told her.  "Right after he shot Pidge."

She remembered the jolt that had shaken her arm as the blaster discharged.  There had been two quick flashes she now realized had been blaster shots.  She had shot a man.  

Keith pulled out his communicator and was contacting Dr. Gorma, warning him that they were bringing in two wounded men.

Lance knelt beside Cheyen and checked for a pulse.

"Is he dead?"  Becca asked.

"There's a pulse."

She shifted her gaze to Pidge and snapped out of her shock.  Rushing over, she took in the dark stains spreading across his chest and under his head.  "Lance, give me your shirt."

He looked up, "What?"

"Now Lance!"

He pulled his t-shirt over his head and watched as she folded it and pressed it to the wound in Pidge's shoulder.  "It looks like he hit his head when he fell."

Keith snapped his communicator shut, "Caleb and Hunk are on their way.  The power's up, but we're running on the generators for now.  How's Cheyen?"  
  


"He's alive," Lance said.  "But it looks like Annie Oakley here got a clean shot into his stomach."

Becca felt sick.  Stomach injuries like that were almost always fatal.  She had killed a man.

Keith turned at the sound of running feet.

"Oh man," Hunk stopped and ran a shaky hand through his hair.  "How bad is it?"

"Hunk, help me carry Pidge to the hospital.  Lance, you and Caleb get Cheyen."

"Yes, sir."  Lance took Caleb's jacket and pressed it to Cheyen's stomach.

"Wait a second," Becca stopped them.  "Hunk, give your belt."  She wrapped it across Pidge's chest, holding the makeshift bandage in place, trying to ignore his quiet groan.  "Hurry, get him to the hospital before he comes to."

They made it to the hospital wing in record time.  Dr. Gorma met them and did a quick examination.  Since it appeared that Cheyen was more gravely injured, he assigned Nurse Helene to attend to Pidge.

"Damned traitor!"  Lance hissed pacing the waiting room.  "How can he be worse off than Pidge?  Did you see all the blood from his head wound?"

"Head wounds always bleed a lot and look worse than they actually are."  Becca whispered.

"I'm going to go and get us back on full power," Caleb excused himself.

Keith nodded and turned to Becca, "What happened?"  
  


She looked at him with a hollow expression, "We, uh, we were heading to Castle Control when, uh, Cheyen showed up."  She rubbed a hand over her eyes.  "He said he had heard some noises and had gone to investigate.  I don't know what happened, but Pidge knew he was the traitor and was trying to get him to go to Castle Control when he attacked Pidge."

Darcy hurried into the waiting room and handed Schuyler to Lance before running over to Becca and hugging her.  "Oh, God, Rebecca!  Are you okay?"

"I'm fine."

Darcy pulled back and studied her sister.  Becca was pale and wide eyed.  "What happened?"  She whispered.

Tired of reliving it, Becca shook her head.

"We'll figure out what all happened when Pidge comes to," Keith spoke up.

"Comes to?"  Allura waddled into the room.  "What happened?"

Keith jumped to his feet and helped her to the chair beside Becca, "Sit down, take it easy."

She rolled her eyes, "I'm fine Keith, what happened?"

"Is anyone else coming?"

"Nanny is putting Cady down and Koran is staying to help Caleb."

With a sigh, Keith told Darcy and Allura all that he knew.  "We'll get the rest of the details from Pidge when he comes to."

Allura sat back and folded her hands over her abdomen, closing her eyes. 

"You should go to bed," Keith told her.

"I want to see what they say about Pidge."

"No, come on, you need to rest.  Don't push yourself, this has been a very stressful day.  You and the babies need to rest."

She took the hands he offered and allowed him to pull her to her feet.  "I will only agree to this if you come and tell me how Pidge is doing."

"I promise."  Keith turned to the others.  "I'll be back."

Lance nodded, "Good night, Allura."

"Good night guys," she unsuccessfully tried to stifle a yawn and leaned on Keith as he led her out the door.

Darcy wrapped her arm around Becca's shoulders, "You want to talk about it?"

"I shot a man."  She whispered.

Darcy squeezed her, "You only did what you had to do.  You probably saved Pidge's life."

"I've spent the past four years preparing myself to go into medicine, to _save_ lives."

Lance stopped pacing and sat in the chair on the other side of her, "Becca, don't beat yourself up over this.  He had it coming.  Considering the circumstances, you did the right thing."

In her mind, Becca relived what had happened just a few minutes earlier and felt the bile rise in her throat.  Jumping to her feet, she ran to the bathroom down the hall.

The lights flickered and then came back on full force.

"Looks like Caleb has us back on main power," Lance muttered, looking down at Schuyler in his arms.

"I think you should put her to bed."  Darcy whispered.

"I'm not going to leave her alone."

"Put her in the nursery with Cady, Nanny will be there and I'm sure Keith is going to put someone in the hall.  He won't leave Allura alone."

"But who?  We don't know if Cheyen was working alone."

"Maybe Caleb?"

Lance nodded, "Alright."

"And honey, see if you can find a toothbrush."

"What?"

Darcy nodded towards the bathroom, "I think Becca's going to need one."

When she emerged from the bathroom, Becca saw only Hunk and Darcy left.  "Where is everyone?"

"Lance went to put the baby down, he's going to bring you a toothbrush."  
  


"Thanks."

"He and Keith will be back soon."

She fell into the chair beside her sister and stared at the wall.  "No word?"

"Not yet," Hunk muttered.

Becca rubbed her hands nervously on her thighs, "I've never even fired a gun before."

"It was a hell of a shot."  Hunk told her.

"And yet that doesn't make me feel any better.  I could've…I could've _killed him."_

"You still harping on that?"  Lance asked as he entered the room.

"Thanks for being so understanding."

He handed her a toothbrush and toothpaste, "It wasn't your fault, Becs, you acted on instinct."

"Is the baby down?"  Darcy asked as Becca returned to the bathroom.

  
"Yeah, Keith's going to hang out until Caleb gets up there and then he'll be back."

"Pidge's wounds didn't look too bad, did they?"  Hunk asked.

Lance sat down beside Darcy, "I don't know man, there was a lot of blood."

Hunk sighed and leaned his head back on the wall, closing his eyes.

Darcy leaned her head on Lance's shoulder while he wrapped his arm around her.  When Becca returned, she sat down and they all waited in silence for word on their friend.

****************************************************

It was half an hour before Nurse Helene emerged from Pidge's room.

"How is he?"  Keith asked.

"He'll be fine.  It was a clean shot through the shoulder, he had thirty two stitches and that arm will be out of commission for the time being.  He's going to have a rather nasty headache for awhile too, but none of this was life threatening."

Becca let out a shaky sigh and felt Darcy grasp her hand.

"Is he awake?"  Keith asked.

"He is, but he is also heavily drugged, so he won't be awake for much longer.  I know you want to talk to him, but he isn't up to being interviewed right now."  Nurse Helene told him.  "He asked to see Miss Barlow."

Becca pushed herself up and followed the nurse on shaky legs.  

"He's fighting to stay awake, dear," Nurse Helene stopped outside the door.  "So don't stay too long, he needs to rest."

Pidge was lying back on the slightly reclined bed.  Stark white bandages were wrapped around his head and over his shoulder, across his chest.  His left arm was in a sling, resting on his stomach and his eyes were half closed.

"Hi," Becca whispered, crossing the room.

"Hi."

"How're you feeling?"

"Surprisingly good."

Becca picked up the pill bottle sitting on the bedside table and smiled when she read the label.  "No wonder.  I'd be surprised if you could feel anything at all right now."

"How're you doing?"

"Oh, I'm fine," she pulled the chair over beside his bed and sat down.

"What happened to Cheyen?"

Becca looked down at his bed, smoothing the sheet beneath her hands.  "I, uh, I shot him."

"You did?"

"Yeah, uh, Dr. Gorma is tending to him now."

"You shot him?"

"In the stomach."

Pidge watched her, noticing that she wouldn't look up at him, "Are you okay with this?"

"Lance said I only did what I had to do.  I don't even remember firing.  There was a jolt in my arm and a flash of light.  The next thing I knew, Lance was yelling at me to snap out of it."

Pidge laid his right hand over hers, "You probably saved my life, Becs."

She looked up at him shyly, "Well, you were pretty awesome, kicking some serious butt."

"Not bad for a coward, huh?"  He teased, hoping to get a smile out of her.

Instead of smiling, tears filled her eyes.  "I didn't really mean that, Pidge.  You are not a coward.  You are the bravest, smartest, strongest man I've ever known."

"You forgot handsome."  
  


She shrugged, a tear sliding down her cheek, "I figure that's implied."

"Don't."  He whispered.

"I can't help it.  I said some terrible things…"

"Stop it, Becs.  You were right.  I was being a total coward.  I never wanted to break up with you."

"I guess it's a good thing I wouldn't let you."

"Yeah," he reached up with his right hand and cupped her cheek.  "It's been one hell of a night."

Becca placed her hand over his and tilted her face into his hand, "A regular emotional roller coaster."

"Maybe you should go to bed."

"I don't want to leave you," she whispered.

"I'll be here in the morning."

She studied his pale face and noticed how hard he was trying to stay awake.  "I'll be back first thing."

"You better be."

Becca leaned down and gently kissed him, "Good night, Pidge."

"Good night," he mumbled.

Darcy and Lance were the only ones still in the waiting room when she entered.

  
"How is he?"  Lance asked.

"Tired."

"But he'll be okay?"  Darcy asked.

Becca nodded.

Noticing the look on her sister's face, Darcy stood and hugged her tightly.  Becca cried into her shoulder while Lance pretended not to notice.

"I'm sorry," Becca whispered.

"Don't be," Darcy held her at arm's length.  

"But…but what kind of doctor will I be if I get this upset at the sight of blood."

"Rebecca," Darcy squeezed her shoulders.  "It's different when it's _his blood."_

Lance stood beside her, "She's right Becs, it's always different when it's someone you love.  You will be a great doctor."

"Come on, you need some sleep."  Darcy said.  "You can bunk with me tonight."

Becca nodded and let her sister lead her from the hospital.

"Keith and Lance are going to up all night," Darcy explained as they walked down the hall.  "Keith won't rest until they know if Cheyen was in this alone or if he had help."  
  
"What have you heard about Cheyen?"

"Dr. Gorma took him in to surgery.  Lance is going to wait until he's out of it."

"How bad do you think he is?"

"I don't know, Bec."

Becca sighed as they entered the room, "Where's Schuyler?"

"She's staying with Nanny and Cady tonight.  You need some sleep and I hate being alone at night, so you're going to stay with me."

"I really love him, Darcy."  Becca admitted as she fell back across the bed.

Darcy couldn't help but smile, "He'll be fine."

"I know."

"Just wait until Dad hears about this."


	15. Back To Normal

"So he wasn't working alone."  Allura said.

"No," Keith shook his head.  "It would have been almost impossible for him to have done this alone."

"Do you know who he was working with?"  Dante asked.

  
The entire Force, along with Allura, Darcy, Becca, and Koran all sat around the table in the conference room.  

It had been a week since the shooting.  Pidge was released a couple of days earlier, but was under strict orders to take it easy.  His arm was still in a sling, he was prone to horrible headaches, and weakness made it hard for him to stay out of bed for long.  Cheyen was still in the hospital.  He was taken off life support and was expected to survive, but he had yet to regain consciousness.

Keith sat beside Allura, notes he and Lance had put together on the table in front of him.  "We went through Cheyen's quarters.  Apparently he was placed here by Landor, not Lotor.  Cheyen had to send him weekly updates and he kept a sort of diary.  He intercepted the papers on Lance's physical therapist and presented Dr. Gorma with Fatina's forged papers.  He had helped Lotor and Haggar into the castle when they attacked Lance and Darcy."

Lance sat beside Keith, glaring at the polished finish of the tabletop as the Captain listed the atrocities Cheyen and his cohorts had performed against them.  Everyone had been fooled by Cheyen, but it seemed like he and Darcy, and Schuyler for that matter, had all been at the center of his deception.  He felt like a fool and a worthless protector.  When they discovered everything Cheyen had done, Keith had to forcibly restrain Lance to keep him from running to the hospital and throttling Cheyen with his bare hands.

Darcy reached her hand out and rubbed Lance's back as he leaned over the table.  He wouldn't tell her what was on his mind, but she had an idea.  She knew him too well.  

"Who was it?"  Pidge asked.

"Privates Iyre, Bruc, and Denton."

"But Iyre was killed when Lotor and Haggar broke into our room," Darcy pointed out.

"Collateral damage."  Lance muttered.

"If they had let him go, it would have seemed suspicious," Keith said.  "We figure Cheyen did all the computer work and the other two did the leg work.  It was Bruc who had broken into Pidge's room.  It seems Cheyen was really angry about that, he didn't want Bruc to leave a note, but Bruc remembered Landor doing it and he thought it was a nice, dramatic touch."

"So what happens next?"  Allura asked.

"Bruc and Denton have been interrogated and arrested.  They are locked in the dungeons under guard until the Garrison can pick them up and take them to Zettle."  
  


"Are we sure they're the only ones involved?"  Hunk asked.

"Yes.  The three of them were the only ones mentioned in Cheyen's log and Lance was able to scare an admission out of both of them."

Pidge looked up at him, "What about Cheyen?"

  
"When it's safe for him to travel he will be moved to the prison hospital on Planet Zettle."  Keith looked down at his young friend.  Pidge was pale and tired looking.  "Okay, you guys are dismissed.  We'll have a full report put together for the Garrison and you guys can check it out if you want to."  He watched as everyone stood and shuffled from the room.  Lance was still in a foul mood, but Keith knew Darcy would find a way to help him out of it.  Pidge leaned heavily on Becca as they left the room and Keith couldn't help but smile.  Becca had been so good for Pidge, he was dreading her leaving as much as Pidge was.

"I'm so glad to see you looking like your old self."

Keith looked over at his wife.  They were alone in the room, Allura sitting back in her chair, her feet up on another chair, watching him.

"How're you feeling?"  He asked.

"A lot better knowing it's once again safe in the castle."

Keith lifted her feet off the chair and sat down, placing them down on his lap, "I think you should consider taking a maternity leave until the babies are born."

She smiled at him, "I can't do that, you know that.  I don't have a nine-to-five job."

"Will you promise to take it easy?"  He asked, removing her shoe and gently massaging her foot.

She sighed, "Keep that up and I'll promise you anything."

He raised an eyebrow, "Anything?"

Allura laid her hands over her stomach, "As long as it doesn't require me to be on my feet for long periods of time."

"I don't think you have to worry about that."

She smiled softly, "You're terrible."

"Come on," Keith stood and offered her his hands.  "I have to go put this report together and I want you to relax."

"Now that this is all over, will _you relax?"_

He smiled and pulled her into a hug, "Maybe tonight we'll find a way to relax together."

****************************************************

The atmosphere within the castle changed dramatically after the capture of Cheyen and his men.  Everyone was much more laid back and playful.  The guys were playing games together and tricks on each other.  Allura was taking fewer meetings and more time to relax.  Hunk and Paton were back to planning their wedding, Dante was back to dating a new girl almost every night and Becca and Pidge were able to spend more time together.

A week after the arrest of Bruc and Denton, the Force settled into the rec room.  Rain poured steadily down from the sky, forcing them all to stay indoors.  Caleb and Pidge were bent over a chess board, Darcy and Becca sat on the floor playing with the babies while Allura sat back on the sofa with Keith.  Lance and Dante were immersed in a movie and Hunk was in Castle Control on duty.

Becca found herself glancing over at Pidge from time to time.  He shed the sling a couple of days earlier, but his shoulder was still stiff and sore.  They had spent time together every day since the arrests, most of that time just hanging out in his room and watching movies since he was still tired and weak.  

Pidge had just gotten off medical leave the day before.  He looked over and caught her watching him.  She blushed slightly, but smiled instead of looking away.  He returned her smile and winked at her.

"Keep your mind on the game," Caleb said.

"I can let my mind wander and still kick your butt."  Pidge responded.

A guard appeared in the doorway and cleared his throat.

Keith went to stand, but Allura, who was leaning against him, grabbed his leg and prevented him from leaving.  "Come on in, Private."  She said.

Pvt. Whitman walked quickly into the room and bowed to Allura, "Your Highness."  He turned to Keith, saluted, and held out a piece of paper.  "This just arrived, sir."

Keith took it and skimmed over it, "Thank you, Private, I'll take care of it."

"Yes, sir."

"You're dismissed."

The young man saluted and then bowed again before turning on his heel and leaving the room.

Allura snatched the paper from his hand and read it, "Oh, good.  When is he leaving?"

"As soon as possible."

"What is it?"  Lance asked.

"Dr. Gorma has cleared Cheyen for travel and contacted the Garrison to come and get him."  Keith told them.

"Good," Pidge muttered.  "The sooner he's gone the better."

"It will probably be tonight," Keith said, picking up Cady as she ran into him, hugging his leg.  "Col. Hurst will be in touch when he sends out the retrieval crew."  
  


"So he will be alright?"  Becca asked, tickling Schuyler's stomach.  She wanted to know how he was doing, but Pidge and Keith had asked her to not go into the hospital asking about him.

"Unfortunately," Lance muttered.

Darcy looked up at him, warningly, "Lance."

"What?"  He slid out of his chair and onto the floor, taking Schuyler onto his lap.  "We're going to take Becca to a shooting range and teach her how to properly injure a person."  
  
"I don't think that's funny, Lance."  Becca told him.

Caleb stood and stretched, "I think she injured him enough."

"Where are you going?"  Pidge asked him.

"I'm on duty."

"We're in the middle of a game."

Caleb nodded toward Keith, "Take it up with the boss man."  
  


"Becca," Pidge whined.

Smiling, she stood, "You are such a baby."

"You better let him win," Caleb whispered as he passed her.  "He whines even more when he loses."

"Thanks for the advice," she whispered back.

Pidge winked at her as she sat down, "I'll go easy on you."

Becca looked at the board and her eyes widened, "I'm not quite the chess player you guys are."

"Move the white horsey guy there."  He suggested.

"You mean the knight?"  She kicked him under the table, which started a playful game of footsie.

None of this flirting escaped Lance and he spoke up, "So, are you guys going to give little Sky a cousin soon?"

Darcy smacked him upside the head, "Stop that!"

Becca felt the heat rise to her face at his innuendo, but she kept her mouth shut and stared at the board in front of her.

"Way to embarrass them, Lieutenant."  Keith smirked.

"Will you two behave?"  Allura said, shifting in her seat.

"I'm just saying, if you need any advice on satisfying a woman, feel free to come to me."  Lance said.

Pidge slid his gaze over to him, "If you weren't hiding behind your baby right now, I would be kicking your ass."

"Oh, don't start," Darcy said, taking Schuyler from Lance as he stood.

"I can't allow him to talk to me like that in front of my woman and kid."

Darcy rolled her eyes and stood to sit beside Allura on the couch, "You have nothing to prove Lance, we already now what an idiot you can be."

Lance ignored her.  "Bring it on Little Man."

Pidge stood so fast he knocked his chair to the floor.

Lance crossed the room while Becca got out of the way, walking over to sit next to Darcy.  "Is it usually like this?"  She whispered.

"You mean are they always this immature?"  Darcy asked.  "Yes."

Keith stood, setting his daughter on the couch and walking over to separate the two men who were engaged in mock fight.  "I should just let them kill each other and then I'd have two less pains in the ass."

Cady stood on the couch and hugged Allura, laying her head on her mother's shoulder.  Allura wrapped her arm around the little girl and held her.  "You get used to it after a while."  She told Becca.

"Are they going to hurt each other?  I mean, Pidge's shoulder is still sore."  Becca said, worriedly.

"Don't worry about it, they'll both grunt and throw a few punches and then Keith will put an end to it."  Allura assured her.

"So, have you guys settled on names yet?"  Darcy asked, trying to change the subject.

"I think so.  If they're two boys they'll be Gideon Alfor and Declan James.  If they're two girls they'll be Audrey Lynn and Madelene Abigail."

"What if it's one of each?"  Becca asked, watching as Lance pushed Pidge's good arm behind his back before Pidge kicked his feet out from under him and they landed on the floor.

"Then they'll be Gideon Alfor James and Madelene Abigail Lynn."

"The middle names are yours and Keith's fathers?"  Darcy asked.

"Yeah, and the girls are our paternal grandmothers."

"Is Cady ready for the babies?"  Darcy asked, gently tugging one of Cady's curls.

"Bay-bay!"  Cady squealed, patting Allura's stomach.

Allura smiled and stroked Cady's back, "We like to think so, but we won't know for sure until they're here."

"Are you planning on having any more kids?"  Becca asked as Pidge stood and raised his fists.

"I don't know," Allura said.  "I think we're not really going to plan for it, but if it happens, we'll be happy."

Darcy snorted, "In other words they'll have enough children to start their own football team in a few years."

"Probably," Allura smiled.

Cady crawled off the couch and went to stand by her father.  At this point, Lance and Pidge were slapping at each other's hands and tossing insults back and forth.    Keith scooped up his daughter and pointed to the two men, "See, Cady, these are the kinds of men you are never allowed to get involved with."

"What?"  Lance turned, the distraction allowing Pidge to smack him upside the head.  "Cady loves us.  Come see Uncle Lance, Cady Bear."

In response, the little girl buried her face in her father's neck and hugged him tightly.

Keith laughed, "Thatta girl.  Let him know you don't go for the big stupid men."

Darcy stood, cradling Schuyler in her arms, "I'm going to go put the baby down for her nap."

Lance bounded over and took the baby, "I'll do it."

Smiling and shaking her head, Darcy followed Lance out of the room, "She needs a nap, Lance, not to play."

"Yeah, yeah, yeah."  He waved his wife off.

Keith offered Allura a hand as she struggled to stand.  "Are you okay?"  He asked her.

"Yes, I just have to use the bathroom."  She waddled out of the room with him.

Pidge fell back across the couch, his head landing on Becca's lap, "Hi."

"Hi," she smoothed the hair back off his forehead.  "Your arm is still sore, that was a stupid thing to do."  
  


He rolled his eyes, "I can still kick Lance's ass with one arm tied behind my back."

"Neanderthal," she murmured.

He sat up and turned to face her, "What was that?"

"I said you are a Neanderthal.  You're smarter than that, you don't need to fight."

"Oh, come on," he leaned closer to her.  "You told me a couple of weeks ago in the hospital that I looked good kicking butt."

"Yeah, kicking the bad guy's butt, not my brother-in-law's."

Pidge leaned closer, "You didn't specify that before."

"Well, I am now."

"I'll keep that in mind," he brought his mouth down on hers, leaning forward, forcing her to lie back in the couch beneath him.

Becca brought her hands up and tangled her fingers in his hair, shifting beneath him as he settled against her.  She loved the feel of his weight against her, pressing her further into the couch as his hands ran down her sides.

Pidge lifted his head, breathless, and looked down at her.  "I just felt the need to do that."

Smiling, she reached up and took his glasses off, setting them on the coffee table.  "I'm glad you did."

He took her hands in his, stretching her arms above her head while he lowered his mouth to her neck.  He kissed his way up to her ear where he whispered sweet words she never expected to hear from him and they sent a pleasant warmth through her body.  

"Pidge," she whispered.  "Let go of my hands."  
  


"No," he murmured, skimming his lips across her cheek to capture her lips again.

"I want to touch you," she breathed against his lips.

He raised his head slightly and smiled mischievously down at her, "Oh, you do, do you?"

She bit her lip and nodded.

His heart raced so fast he was sure it would burst right through his chest.  It was still hard for him to believe someone like her could love someone like him.  She was so beautiful, smart, and fun.  He was just a computer nerd.

When he released her, Becca framed his face with her hands and whispered, "I love you," before bringing his mouth to hers.

The sound of someone clearing his throat had them both jumping.

"Don't mind me," Keith said, shielding his eyes.  "I'm just here to get Cady's blanket.  I didn't see anything.  Although I would suggest you go find a more private place to do that."

Blushing bright red, Pidge buried his face into her throat, hiding the smile on his face.

"Come on, he's right," Becca whispered.

Pidge pulled himself up and offered her a hand, "I have a few more hours before I go on duty, lets go find something to do."

"I don't wanna watch _Star Wars_ again," Becca whined, letting him pull her to her feet.

"How about _Star Trek_?"  

"Ugh!" She made a face.  "That's even worse."

************************************************************

Becca woke slowly.  The rain was still falling steadily against the windowpane, there was one light on, and the televiewer was on low playing _Empire Strikes Back._

"What time is it?"  She murmured into Pidge's chest.

He looked over at the clock beside his bed, "It's almost four."

She lifted her head and looked down at him.  They were stretched out on his bed where she had dozed off with her head on his chest.  "Sorry, I didn't mean to fall asleep."

"That's okay," he reached up and toyed with a loose curl.  "I like watching you sleep."

Becca felt herself blush at the thought of him watching her.  "You were watching me?"

He nodded, tracing his finger along her jaw.

She sighed and studied his face.

"What's wrong, Bec?"

"I leave in a few weeks."

Pidge felt a tightening in his chest, "That's still a lot of time."

"But it's not enough."

He flashed her a weak smile, "We'll make it enough time.  Besides, you'll be back to visit and I'll visit Terra."

"Yeah," she leaned down to kiss his neck. "I'll get to show you off to all my friends."

"What?  Show off the fact that you're dating a member of the Voltron Force?"  He realized as soon as he had said it, it was the wrong thing to say.

Becca lifted her head and looked at him with a mixture of hurt and confusion.  "Is that what you really think?"  She didn't wait for him to answer.  "Pidge, I want to show _you off.  The sweet, intelligent, good man that you are.  I love you for you, not for what you do for a living.  I don't know if I should be angry for what you insinuated or pity you because you feel that way."_

He shifted his gaze, his cheeks reddening.  

Smiling slightly, Becca leaned down and kissed him.  "You're an amazing person."  She began unbuttoning his shirt.  "You're smart. Kind. Handsome."  She punctuated each compliment with a kiss.  

"Becca," he whispered as she spread his shirt open and ran her hands over his torso.

She lifted her head and looked down at him, earnestly, "Do you believe me?'

He nodded, "Yes."

"I need you to believe me, Pidge, I want you to understand how important you are to me."

"Becca, I…I love you," he lifted his head and kissed her.

She broke the kiss and moved her lips across his cheek, down his throat, and proceeded to trail small kisses down his chest.

"Becca, please, don't."

She lifted her head, looking hurt again, "Don't you want to…"  
  


"Oh, God, yes.  I want to be with you more than you could ever know.  But I go on duty in an hour and I don't want to be with you and then leave.  I want to be able to stay with you," he ran his hands down her sides and back up to cross his arms across her back.  "I want to be able to make love to you and then fall asleep with you in my arms."

She smiled, her heart racing and tears filling her eyes.  She lowered her gaze and pushed the shirt back on his left shoulder, exposing his fresh scar.  Becca gently traced it with her finger, feeling him stiffen.  "I know how you got this one, tell me about…" she leaned down and kissed the thin white scar on the curve where his neck met his right shoulder, "this one."

"Doom soldier.  I was on duty when Lotor attacked.  They broke into the castle and I was on duty so I was the first one they encountered, he tried to cut my throat.  I also got this one that day."  He pointed to a wide, pink scar over his right rib.  "I was grazed by a blaster."

"Wow," she breathed, suddenly realizing how dangerous his life had been.  "What made you become a space pilot?"

Pidge shrugged, "It was just Chip and I.  We were both good with computers and we received full scholarships to the Academy."

"Lance said you were a child genius."

He blushed, "I wouldn't say that."

"It's nothing to be embarrassed about."

"I was book smart, but I was socially awkward."

"Well, you certainly aren't socially awkward anymore."

"Yeah, well, Lance took me under his wing."

Becca smiled and laid her head back on his chest, "Remind me to thank him."

A little while later, Pidge slid out from under her, it was time for him to get ready to go down to Castle Control.  

"When are you off?"  Becca asked as she stretched on the bed.

"Nine."

"We can do a late dinner."

"You don't have to wait for me."

"I want to."

"Alright," he smiled at her.  "You going to stay here?"

"Yeah, for now."

Pidge leaned down and kissed her, "I'll see you in a few hours."

"Have fun."

"I have to admit," he whispered.  "I like seeing you in my bed."

She smiled up at him, "I have to admit, I like being here."

He groaned quietly, "I'll see you at nine."

Becca looked around his room after he left.  For the most part it was sparsely decorated, but it was cozier than the room she was staying in.  He had framed movie posters of all six _Star Wars movies hanging on one wall.  A handful of pictures were scattered around the room, one of him and his brother, one of his family when he was quite young, a few pictures of the Force, including pictures from Sven's, Keith's, and Lance's weddings.  A desktop computer was set up on his desk and a laptop sitting on the table beside his bed.  He had a small radio, but no stereo system.  _

She grabbed the remote for the televiewer and began flipping through the channels.  After settling on a channel showing old sitcoms, she grabbed his laptop and decided to email her best friend back on Terra.  It was true, when you fell in love you did want to tell everyone.

*********************************************

A knock on the door tore her attention away from the movie she was watching.  It was 6:30, dinner time, Darcy was probably wondering where she was.

"Come in!"

The door slid open and she gasped.  "What are you doing here?"

"Well, I was looking for Audric, but this is even better."

Becca stood and looked for a way out, but he was blocking the door.  "How did you get here?"

"I know this castle like the back of my hand."

"They're going to notice you missing."

As if on cue the castle alarms sounded.

Cheyen turned and locked the door, "I'm not worried about getting out of here alive, but if I'm going, I'm taking Audric with me."


	16. What Kind Of Vacation Is This?

Hi!

All relative disclaimers apply…you know the spiel…

Thank you all for your reviews.  They are helpful and very much appreciated.

Anony~ Thanks for the proofreading  :) It is so easy to miss a mistake like that, that's why we depend on our reviewers.  Thanks!

RedLion2~ As always, thank you for your review and support!

Enjoy,

Failte

*************************************************

Nurse Jewelia ran full force down the hall and into Castle Control.  Lt. Audric was on duty and looked to be a million miles away.  He slowly turned the chair to face the door when he heard it slide open.

The look of sheer panic on the young nurse's face had Pidge on his feet, "What's wrong?"

She gasped for breath, "Dr. Gorma…Pvt. Blaide…the prisoner got out…"

"What?  Cheyen escaped?"

She nodded.

Pidge turned to the console and sounded the alarms.  He grabbed his communicator and called Keith, they were all in the dining room having dinner.

"Whitaker."

"Keith, Nurse Jewelia is here, she says Cheyen escaped."  
  


"What?"  Keith was on his feet, his chair clattered to the floor.  "We'll be right there."

Pidge turned back to the nurse who had composed herself, "What happened?"  
  


"Dr. Gorma went in to check on the patient while I went to get some more bandages.  It was just Dr. Gorma and I and the patient and Pvt. Blaide, who was guarding the patient.  I noticed the door was open and I went in to find Dr. Gorma and Pvt. Blaide, but the patient was gone.  He had shot Pvt. Blaide and grazed Dr. Gorma's leg.  Dr. Gorma is seeing to the Private and he sent me to find help."  She explained, her hands shaking.

As she told her story, Pidge went about putting the castle into lockdown.  No one could leave or enter the castle.  

Keith, Lance, Hunk, Caleb, and Dante ran as fast as they could into Castle Control.  Darcy stayed to watch over Allura and the children in the locked dining room.  Pidge quickly briefed them on what he knew.

  
"Alright, Hunk, Caleb, Dante, take five guards each, I want a full sweep of the castle."

"Becca."  Pidge whispered.

"What about her?"  Lance asked.  "I thought you said she was alright."

"She's in my room.  Alone."  Without waiting for permission to leave, Pidge took off running with Lance at his heels.  

Keith told Hunk to stay in Castle Control and sent Caleb and Dante out with guards to carry on with the castle wide sweep.

***************************************************

Becca watched Cheyen as he lurched further into the room.  His face was an ashen gray and he moved slowly, one arm wrapped gingerly around his stomach and the other clutching a blaster.

"What do you want?"  She asked, her voice shaking.

"If I'm going down I'm taking Audric and you down with me."  He snarled.

"Why?"

"Why?"  His voice rose to near hysterics.  "That son of a bitch killed my master!"

"Pidge didn't kill Landor."

"Landor?  Landor was a fool and a waste!  He killed Lotor, the King of Doom!  And you!  You shot me!  You little wench!"  He lurched closer.

Becca scanned the room, trying to find either something she could use as a weapon or some way around him to the door.  "But I thought you were sent here by Landor."

"That was a cover, in case I was discovered before his Excellence was well enough to make his presence known again."

She knew that if she kept him talking, it would distract him until help came.

*********************************************************

Pidge never considered himself a religious man, he was a man of science.  But as he ran from Castle Control, he silently chanted every prayer he knew and some he made up on the way.  He didn't know if there was a God or if He knew Pidge existed, but Pidge pleaded with him to spare Becca.  

**********************************************************

The alarms were silent, so Becca knew they were coming, if they figured out where he was.  She had no way of telling them he was here and that he was armed.

"You don't want to do this."  She said, trying to think of a way to keep him talking.

"Don't tell me what I want," he growled, falling against the desk.

"You're in pain, let me help you."

  
"I'm in pain because you shot me!" 

"I'm sorry," she said weakly.  
  


"No you're not."  He was growing even paler and his legs shook with the exertion of walking.  

Becca heard the sound of running feet.  They were coming.

"I am sorry, really I am.  Please sit down.  We'll get you help."  She told him.

"Stupid bitch," he raised his arm, pointing the blaster at her.

She heard the sound of the code being entered to open the door.  As it slid open she shouted, "He has a gun!"

Pidge and Lance entered the room, weapons drawn.

"Drop the gun, Cheyen!"  Lance demanded.

"Go ahead, shoot me," Cheyen laughed maniacally.  "But I won't be going alone."  He raised the blaster and fired.

At the same instant Pidge and Lance both fired.

Pidge leapt over the fallen body of Cheyen and fell to his knees beside Becca, "Oh, God, oh Becca, oh God."  He laid his weapon down and tried to figure out how to touch her.

"I'm okay," Becca was on her knees, feeling the burning pain in her left arm.

"No, you're not.  You were hit."  Pidge's voice and hands shook convulsively at the sight of her blood.

"Pidge.  Pidge, I was grazed.  I'm fine."  She brought her right hand up to cup his chin and forced him to look at her.  "I'm fine."

He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a tight hug, unable to find his voice.

Becca wrapped her right arm around him, trying to ignore the pain in her left.  "I'm okay.  Everything is alright."  She repeated over and over, trying to calm him with words and reassurances.

"Pidge."

They pulled apart and looked up at Keith.  Lance had contacted him after the shots were exchanged. 

"Take her to the hospital wing and get her arm checked out.  We're going to get this cleaned up."

Pidge stood and offered Becca a hand, helping her to her feet.  He ran a shaky hand through his hair and looked down at the bleeding form on the floor, "Is he…?"

"Yeah, he's dead." Keith told him.

"Good."  Pidge said seriously.

"Come on," Becca pulled on his hand.  She wanted to get away from the sight as much as she wanted to get him away from it.

He was stiffly silent as they walked quickly to the hospital wing.  Becca didn't mind.  The pain in her arm was becoming unbearable.  It was an intense burning sensation.  If this was what it was like to be grazed by a blaster, she could only imagine how painful it was to take a full shot.  The thought of the pain Pidge must have experienced when he was shot in the shoulder brought tears to her eyes.  

"I'm sure they'll be able to give you something for the pain," Pidge said, noticing her tears.

"It's not that," she whispered.

  
"What is it?"

She shook her head.

Nurse Jewelia met them in the waiting room.  "Captain Whitaker said you were coming.  Come with me and I'll see to your wound."

"How's Dr. Gorma?"  Pidge asked as they followed her.

"He'll be fine.  Nurse Helene is seeing to him."

"He was hurt?"  Becca asked.

  
"The Doctor's leg was grazed when the patient escaped.  Sit on the table please."  Jewelia turned to get out bandages.

Becca sat on the table, clutching Pidge's hand in hers.

"Can you remove your shirt?"  The nurse asked.  "Or would you rather I cut it off."

Becca looked down at the old Buffalo Bills sweatshirt she was wearing.  She loved this shirt, it was oversized and old enough to be worn to just the right comfort.

"I'll buy you a new shirt," Pidge whispered.

She smiled weakly, "I, uh, I think it'll need to be cut off."

Starting at the cuff, Nurse Jewelia carefully cut up the length of the sleeve, splitting it cleanly in two.  "Oh, it doesn't look that bad.  Just a graze.  I'm sure it hurts, but we have something that should help."

They watched in silence as she cleaned, applied a salve, and bandaged Becca's arm.  Nurse Jewelia kept up a constant stream of chatter, trying to ease the tension that filled the room.

  
"There you go, good as new.  You'll be a little sore, but you'll be fine."

"Thanks," Becca murmured.

Nurse Jewelia nodded to them and slipped from the room.

"Are you, uh, are you okay?"  Pidge asked, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Yeah, I'm fine."  She tried to sound more confident than she was.  "I'm a little pissed about this shirt, I've had it for years.  My father gave it to me for Christmas, he picked it out himself, you know, not something Mom picked out and put his name on…"

"Becca, you're babbling."  Pidge interrupted.

She blushed, "Sorry."

He nodded and took a deep breath, "Come on, I'll take you back to your room so you can get a clean shirt."

"Thanks."  She slid off the bed and followed him out the door.

***********************************************************

"We're going to set you up in a guest room," Keith told Pidge.  "We want to clean up the mess."

"Yeah, here," Hunk held out a duffle bag.  "I grabbed some clothes and stuff for you."

"Thanks, man," Pidge took the bag from him.

"How's Becca?"  Lance asked.

"She's fine.  It was just a flesh wound."

"How're you?"

Pidge flashed his friends a weak smile, "I'm alright."

***********************************************************

Becca stood in her room trying to pull her arm through the tattered sleeve of her shirt.  Her arm throbbed and was painfully stiff.  Tears of frustration burned her eyes as she gingerly pulled the shirt over her head.

"Bec?  Are you okay?"  Darcy called through the door.

"Can you come in here please," Becca called back.

The door slid open and Darcy walked in, Schuyler on her hip.  "How are you?"

"Sore and pissed off."                                                                                                                                             

"How bad is it?"

"Just a graze, nothing all that bad."

"Do you need help?"

Becca sat on the edge of her bed and nodded.

"If it makes you feel better, you won't have to worry about Cheyen again."  Darcy told her as she set the baby down.  "The men who were going to take him to Zettle for containment are now taking his body."

Becca nodded, "I can't say I'm sorry about that."

"It'll be easier for you to wear a shirt like this, rather than one that you have to pull down over your head," Darcy held up a button down shirt.

Becca stood and let her sister help her slide her arm into the sleeve.  "Where's Pidge?"

"He was talking to the guys out in the hall.  They're setting him up in a guest room for the night."

"Why?"

"There was quite a mess to clean up and Keith wants it all gone before Pidge moves back in."

Becca nodded, concentrating on buttoning up her shirt.

"You sure you okay, Bec?"

"Yeah, come on, lets go see what's going on."  Becca stood and crossed to the door.

  
The guys were still standing in the hall talking.

"How're you feeling, Becca?"  Keith asked her.

"I'm alright," she smiled weakly at them.

"Come on," Keith said to Lance and Hunk.  "Let's get this taken care of.  Pidge, go grab something to eat."

Pidge looked up, surprised, "But, I have to…"

"It's alright, Pidge, we've got you covered for the rest of tonight."

"Let me know if you need anything," Darcy whispered to Becca as she passed on her way to her room.

Becca nodded.

"How're you feeling?"  Pidge asked when he and Becca were alone.

"I'm alright, a little sore, but alright."

He nodded, "Want to go get something to eat?"

She shook her head, "I'm not really hungry."

"Neither am I."

They stood a moment in awkward silence.

"We need to talk," Becca said quietly.

Pidge nodded.

"We can go to my room."

Pidge walked around her room, seeing her suitcases piled in the corner, reminding him of how short their time together was.

"What is it, Pidge?"  She asked, sinking down on the edge of her bed.

"I shouldn't have let you stay alone tonight.  I told Darcy and Lance that we were going to eat later so they didn't need to come and get you."  He paced the room, gesturing wildly with his hands.  "If I hadn't said anything, they would have stopped by and asked if you wanted to go.  They probably would've seen Cheyen or or seeing them might have discouraged him from entering the room or he might have seen that I wasn't there and he might have waited until I got back…"

"Pidge," Becca stood and stepped in front of him so he had to stop pacing.  "Stop it.  This wasn't your fault.  I'm fine, it's over, let's move on.  Don't beat yourself up over it."

He let out a breath and gave her a defeated look, "I'm sorry."

She reached out and cupped his cheek, "Why would you be sorry?  None of this was your fault."

"Because you came here to spend the summer and so far you've been stuck in the castle, threatened, shot at…"  
  


"And fallen madly in love with a cute computer jockey."

He smiled softly, "I'm sorry you've had such a lousy vacation."

She stepped closer to him, "It's been the best vacation of my life."

Pidge closed the gap between them, resting his forehead against hers.  "How do you feel, really?"

"I'm fine."

He raised an eyebrow.

"A little sore, but I'm fine."   She leaned against him, wrapping her right arm tightly around his waist.

Pidge buried his face in her hair, still cursing himself for letting her get involved with this mess.  He shouldn't have left her alone while Cheyen was still in the castle.  

"Stop it," she whispered against his throat.

"Hm?"

"You're still worrying about it.  Stop it."

He kissed the top of her head, then her temple, her cheek and finally her mouth.

"Mm," Becca pulled back and smiled mischievously at him, "I think I know how to get your mind off it."

He smirked, "Oh yeah?"

"Mm hm."  She took his hands and led him to the bed.  
  


"Becca."  
  
"Hm?"  She kissed the pulse point on his throat while she fumbled with the buttons of his shirt.

Pidge sat on the bed, pulling her on his lap, "Bec, I just want to hold you."

"What?"

"I just…I just want to hold you."  He whispered into her hair.

They slid back onto her bed, stretching out together.  Becca laid on her right side, her head on his shoulder and her left arm lying carefully across his stomach.  Pidge wrapped his arm around her shoulders, gently stroking her hair.

"Will you stop feeling so guilty?"  She asked.

"I can't promise, but I'll try."


	17. A Long And Tearful Goodbye

The next morning Becca sat in the middle of her bed with Darcy and Schuyler.  Going along with Dr. Gorma's suggestion, she was taking it easy for the day.  Pidge had gone to meet with Keith.  

She couldn't help but smile at the memory of waking up next him. 

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

 During the night he had rolled over on his side facing her, his arm draped gently over her waist.  Becca woke, facing his chest, his chin was on top of her head, she tilted her head back and looked up at him.  His eyes were still closed and rough stubble covered his face.

"Good morning," he whispered hoarsely, not opening his eyes.

"'Morning," she tried to roll onto her back, but was stopped when he tightened his arm around her.

"How're you feeling?"

"My arm's a little sore, but I'm alright."

"It'll be sore for a while," he said, placing a scratchy kiss on her forehead.

"I'll be alright," she gently touched his left shoulder.  "I can only imagine what it was like for you being shot when it hurts so much just being grazed."

He smiled softly, "Pshaw, it's nothing I can't handle."

"You're something else," she kissed him.

Before he could answer, his communicator went off.  Keith was calling a meeting and Pidge needed to be in the conference room in ten minutes.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

"What are you smiling about?"  Darcy's voice interrupted Becca's thoughts.

  
"What?  Oh, nothing."

"You're blushing."

"I am not."

"Bec…"

"Stop it, Darcy."

"Okay, but if you want to talk…"  
  


Becca smiled at her sister, "I know, I know, I can always come to you."  
  


Darcy ran her hand over her daughter's dark head and commented, "So, Pidge didn't sleep in the guest room last night."

"What?  How do you know that?"

"Lance went to get him before Keith paged him on the communicator."

Becca felt the heat rise to her face but she was saved the chore of explaining when there was a knock on the door.

"Who is it?" Darcy asked, crossing to the door.

"It's me," Keith called out.

Darcy entered the code to unlock the door and then stepped back to let Keith enter, followed by Lance and Pidge.  Becca watched as they walked in, Keith sat down on the desk chair, Lance leaned against the desk, and Pidge stood beside them, his arms crossed over her chest.

"Why do I get the feeling I'm in trouble," Becca quipped.

"You're not in trouble," Keith smiled kindly.  "We're putting together the report to send to the Garrison about what happened, it'll be used in Bruc and Denton's trials.  We need to hear your side of it, what happened before Lance and Pidge entered the room."

Becca licked her lips and rubbed her hands on her thighs.  Taking a deep breath, she told them everything she could remember.

"It was about 6:30?"  Keith asked, making a note.

"Yeah, I looked at the clock when he knocked."

"He knocked?"  Lance asked.

Becca nodded, "I thought that was kind of weird 'cause in movies, the bad guys always just burst in."

"This isn't a movie," Darcy muttered.

"I know that," Becca blushed.  

"He was a guard here for a couple of years, he knows we change the codes whenever the castle has been breached so even if he knew the code to get into my room, it would have changed," Pidge explained.  "He was also looking for me, not you, Becca.  I guess he was hoping to catch me off guard.  Since he and the other two had been captured, he was hoping we had dropped our guard enough that I would just let him in without checking, which is what you did."

"Not that it was your fault," Lance added quickly.  "Anyone of us would probably have done the same."

"I didn't even have the door locked," Becca whispered.

"We didn't have our door locked either, we all thought it was safe," Darcy told her.

"Becca, I don't want you to think any of this was your fault," Keith stood.  "We had an insane criminal who was able to shoot a guard and get free."

"Do you know why he did all this?"  Darcy asked.  "I mean, Lotor's been dead for six months now, why did Cheyen do all this now?"

"All we've been able to get out of Denton is that if anything had happened to him, Lotor had left instructions for them to wait for us to become comfortable and vulnerable before they strike.  It was more important for us to be taken down than for it to be done with a bang." Keith said.  "I guess Cheyen decided that since he knew so much about the computer system, he would be able to disable us completely."

"He was having some fun," Pidge added.  "He was enjoying the fact that he could have this much power over us."

"It's all about power," Becca whispered.

"Most crimes are," Keith responded.  "Is there anything else you can think of?  Anything he said that sticks out in your mind?"

She thought a moment, "I think I told you everything I can remember.  Did you ever figure out how he was able to override the firewall to get into the computer system?"

"He was able to hack past it," Pidge mumbled, more than a little annoyed.

Keith nodded and stood, "Alright then, I'll type up a report.  When it's done I'd appreciate it if you would read over it and see if I missed anything from your point of view."

Becca nodded, "No problem."

"So, does this mean we're officially free to leave the castle?"  Darcy asked, hopefully.

Keith smiled, "Yes."

She jumped off the bed and scooped up the baby, "Great!  We're going into town."

"Hold on," Lance held up a hand to stop her.  "Give me, what?"  He looked at Keith, "An hour?"  Keith nodded.  "And I'll go with you."  
  


"Sounds like a plan," Darcy said, swinging Schuyler onto her hip and giving him a quick kiss.  "Meet us at the front entrance in an hour."

*************************************************

And so began Becca's _real vacation.  Although she squeezed in as much time with Darcy as she could, most of her time was spent with Pidge.  They would go into town and have dinner or see a band play.  Arus' cultural society was beginning to build itself up once again.  Bands were forming, museums, theaters, and libraries were being built.  It seemed like each week there was even more to do.  _

Nearly every night they went for a walk around the lake and castle grounds, talking or not, whichever they felt like.  They were quickly sliding into a comfortable relationship.

However, each day brought them closer to the inevitable, Becca's return home.

*************************************************

The day before she was scheduled to leave, Becca walked into Castle Control where Pidge was on duty, "Hey, can you talk?"  

He spun the chair lazily around to face her, "Of course.  What's up?"

"I was just in talking to Dr. Gorma," she started, leaning against the console.  "He told me that if it was accepted by my school, I could come here to do my internship."

Pidge raised his eyebrows, "Really?"

"Yup.  He said by then he would be getting ready to retire and he would like to train me to take over for him, as long as it was alright by Allura."

He stood and took her hands in his, "That's great Bec."

"And I'm planning to come back for the holidays and in the summer and you can come and visit Terra whenever you want."  She unconsciously tightened her grip on his hands.

"We'll work it out, Becca," Pidge pulled his hands from her grasp and pulled her into a hug.  "It'll all work out."

"I know," she laid her head on his shoulder and closed her eyes.  "When do you get off duty?"

"Five."

They jumped apart when the door slid open.

  
"There you are!"  Darcy crossed quickly to her sister.  "Allura said she needs to talk to Lance and I, so I was hoping you could keep an eye on Schuyler."  She held out the baby monitor she held in her hand.  "She's down for a nap and she should be good for another hour."

"Uh, okay."  Becca took the monitor.

"Thanks.  I'll find you later."  Darcy turned and left as quickly as she had entered.

Becca looked at Pidge, "Wow, I wonder what that's about."

Pidge shrugged.

Darcy arrived at the door to Allura's study feeling more than a little nervous.  She knew she was being silly, these are her friends, there was no reason to feel nervous or scared.  But why had she asked them to come?  What was going on?  If it was strictly military related, it would have been between Keith, Lance, and Allura.  Since Darcy had retired, she was no longer privy to internal information.

She raised her hand and knocked quietly.

The door slid open, Keith smiled and stepped back to let her in.  Allura sat behind her desk with her hands folded on top of a folder on her desk.  Lance was already there, leaning against the bookshelf with his arms crossed over his chest.  He winked at Darcy when she entered.

"Hi, Darc," Allura smiled at her.  "Come on in, have a seat, you too, Lance."

Darcy looked at Lance and raised her eyebrows.  He shrugged in response.  They sat in the chairs opposite the desk and waited for Allura to begin.

"Oh stop looking so terrified," Allura laughed.  "I think what we have to discuss will make you happy."  She flipped open the folder on her desk.  "About a month ago, the town commissioner contacted Koran to tell him that someone approached him concerning some land."  She held up her hand to stop Lance from speaking when he opened his mouth.  "I have to admit that I'm a little disappointed that you didn't come to me when you found out I owned the land, you know I would gladly give it to you."

"We don't want you to split up your land.  It has belonged to your family for centuries."  Lance told her.

Allura picked up a piece of paper, "Which is why you're only getting an acre."

His mouth fell open, "What?  But you can't…"

"Of course I can, the papers have been drawn up and…"  
  


"Allura, we can't ask you…

"Lance, you _didn't_ ask me.  I'm giving it to you.  An unsolicited gift.  So don't give me any of that crap about not being able to accept it.  Is an acre not enough?"

"It's more than enough," Darcy spoke up.

"Because you both know you guys have full access to the castle grounds, the lake, the woods, everything."  She slid the paper across the desk toward them.  "So, what do you think?"

Lance looked at Darcy, this was more than he could have hoped for.  It seemed unreal, too good to be true.

"This is the deed for the land, all you need to do is sign it and it's yours."

Very slowly, he reached over and took the paper off the desk.  Darcy leaned over and read over his shoulder.

"Allura, we can't just take it.  We'll pay for…"

Allura sighed deeply, "Lance, I'm tired, my feet hurt, my back hurts, and I have to go to the bathroom.  Don't argue with me.  Sign it so I can have Koran notarize it and I can go to the bathroom."

Keith walked around and stood behind his wife, "Just take it."

"I, uh, I don't know what to say," Lance whispered looking at the papers in his hand.

"How about 'thank you'?"  Keith coached.

Lance jumped to his feet and went around the back of the desk, "Thank you Allura!"  He threw his arms around her neck and kissed her on the top of the head.  "I don't know if we can ever thank you enough."  He helped her to her feet and hugs and kisses and thank you's were passed around.

******************************************************

"So we're going to put together the plans now, but we won't start building until the spring."  Darcy explained.  She and Becca were in Becca's room, packing her suitcases.

"This all happened rather quickly, didn't it?"  Becca asked, folding a sweater and placing it in a bag.

"Yeah, but we're really excited about it.  Next summer when you come and visit you can stay at our house, rather than the castle."

Becca didn't respond.

Darcy sat on the bed, "You okay, Becs?"

"Yeah," she sighed and sat on the bed beside her sister.  "I just…I just…I don't want to leave Pidge."

"You aren't going to quit school, are you?"

  
"No, I can't do that.  I want to get my degree, I've been working so long and so hard for this.  I just wish I didn't have to leave to do it."

Darcy leaned against her sister, "You'll be back in a few months for Christmas, then it'll only be a few more months until next summer."

"And Pidge said he took a week off for my birthday."  Becca added.

"And with emailing and calls, you won't even have a chance to miss him."

"Yeah," Becca mumbled, standing to finish her packing.

"What do you have planned for tonight?"

"I don't know, Pidge won't tell me."

Darcy zippered up the suitcase she had been filling, "It looks like you're pretty much done."

"Yeah."

Darcy smiled wanly, "It's been really great having you here, Becca."

"Thank you, Darcy," Becca jumped to her feet, suddenly feeling ungrateful.  "I have had so much fun here, it's been great seeing you and Schuyler…"

"And Pidge."

Becca laid her suitcases on the floor and turned to hug her sister, "It went by so fast."

"It did, too fast."

"Wow, this is like my fantasy come true."

They jumped apart and turned to see Lance standing in the doorway with Schuyler.

"Geez, Lance, must you turn everything into something dirty?"  Darcy asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Yeah, pretty much."

"Well, could you at least keep it clean in front of the kid?"  
  


"I'll try.  How's it going, Bec?"

She looked around the room, "I think I'm ready to go in the morning."

"The ship is set to take off at 0800."

"Great."

"Well, I have come to spirit away my wife," Lance held his hand out to Darcy.

"Spirit me away?"  Darcy asked, taking his hand.

"At the request of a certain Green Lion Pilot."

"Real subtle, Lance," Pidge said from behind him.

"I didn't name names," Lance pointed out, wrapping his arm around Darcy's shoulders and leading her from the room.

"Yeah, thanks man."  Pidge muttered as they left the room.

The door slid shut and the two of them stood in an awkward silence.

"So…"  Becca twisted her hands behind her back.

"So," Pidge looked around the room, noticing how empty it looked.

"So," Becca smiled, "are we going to spend our last evening together in uneasy silence."

"I hope not," Pidge returned her smile, weakly.  He walked into the room and sat on the bed.  "I made reservations downtown at Adrina's, then I thought we could go to the club, Half-Track's playing, and then…" He broke off when he saw the look on her face.  "What?  Don't you want to do that?"

  
"No, Pidge, it sounds great," she said, unconvincingly.

He stood and took her hands in his, "Or we could just stay in tonight and make the most of our last night together."

"That sounds nice."

Pidge pulled her into a hug and nuzzled her hair, "Meet me in my room in an hour."

She leaned her head back and looked up at him, "You aren't upset about having to change your plans, are you?"

"My only plans were to spend the evening with you," he whispered, capturing her lips with his.

"Sounds good to me," Becca whispered when he pulled back.

The second he left the room, Becca tore into the carefully packed suitcases, looking for something to wear.  After trying on four different shirts, three pairs of jeans, two sweaters, and three different pairs of shoes, it was time to meet him.

Her heart thudded in her chest as she approached his room.  She knew she was being silly, this was Pidge after all.  But she felt as nervous as she had on their first date.  She knocked hesitantly and stepped back, waiting for the door to open.  It didn't.  She knocked a little louder.  No answer.

"Oh, geez, Bec, sorry."  Pidge came running up the hallway.  "I got caught up."

"That's alright."  She followed him into his room.

The lights were low, just the small green shaded lamp on his desk was on.  He walked around and lit a couple of vanilla scented candles.  "I meant to have all this set up, I was trying to be romantic.  Here, I got you this."  Pidge held out a package.

"What is it?"

He rolled his eyes, "Why do girls always ask that?  Just open it and you'll find out."

Becca sat on his bed and carefully undid the tape.

"Oh, for Pete's sake, just rip it open."

"But it looks nice and you didn't have to get me anything," she insisted.  "I want to enjoy this."

Pidge paced nervously in front of her, "Well, actually, I _did_ have to get you this."

"What do you mean?"  Becca folded the paper and pulled off the top of the box.

"Just open it and you'll see."

She pulled back the tissue paper and smiled.  Folded neatly inside was a new Buffalo Bills sweatshirt.

"They didn't have one exactly like the one you had, so I picked this one.  I ordered online and they take returns, so if you don't like it, you can return it and pick out another one."

"No, Pidge, it's great.  You didn't need to do that."

"I told you I'd get you a new shirt and I did."

Becca set the box aside and stood in front of him, "I love you, Pidge."

"I love you too," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her closer.

Becca sighed when she broke the kiss, "I wish I didn't have to go tomorrow."

Pidge didn't respond, instead he pulled her tightly against him and rested his chin on her head.

"Pidge?"

"Come on," he took her hand and pulled her over to the desk.  He had cleared it off and turned it into a table.  A plain white cloth covered it, a small lamp sat to the side, and a small bud vase held a pale purple flower.

"What is all this?"  Becca asked.

"Dinner."  Pidge held out the chair for her.

The plates were laden with chicken parmigiana, garlic bread, salad.  

"Did you make this?"  Becca asked.

"Well, not really.  If I had more time I would've made something, but since I only had an hour, I took what Nanny was making for dinner tonight."  He explained.

Becca watched as Pidge poked at his food with his fork, not one morsel making it's way to his mouth.  
  
"You want to talk about it?" She asked.  
  
He shrugged, "I guess I'm just not hungry."  
  
She knew what was bothering him because it was what was weighing heavily on her mind as well. She pushed her plate aside and reached across the desk to take his hand, "Darcy's all excited. When I come to visit next summer, she said their house will be done. But when I come for the holidays, I'll still have to stay in the castle. I really hope I'm not over staying my welcome with Allura."  
  
"Nah, you couldn't do that. Allura loves having visitors, she loves having the castle full."  
  
"And whenever you feel the need to visit Terra, you always have a place to stay."  
  
He looked up and gave her a weak smile, "And that will be as often as I can swing it. But I don't want to get in the way of your studies."  
  
"You could never be in the way. I'll even let you quiz me."  
  
"I, uh…" Pidge stopped, not sure how to continue.  
  
"What is it?" She asked quietly.  
  
"I don't want tonight to end," he blurted out. "It brings us closer to you leaving."  
  
Becca felt her heart sink.   
  
"I shouldn't have said that."  
  
"No, it's okay. I feel the same way, Pidge."  
  
"But I don't want you to feel bad," he told her. "I don't want you to feel like I'm trying to make you feel guilty or anything."  
  
"I know," she murmured.  
  
Pidge sat back in his chair and looked at her across the desk. The flickering shadows played across her face, making her features look sharper than they were. Her eyes were cast down as she toyed with the edge of her napkin. He felt terrible about saying what he did. He didn't want her to go, but he wasn't going to say anything, he didn't want to make her feel bad. He wanted her to return to Terra happy.  
  
He stood and walked around the desk. "Becca," he offered her a hand.  
  
She took his hand and stood beside him, allowing herself to be pulled into a tight hug. She wrapped her arms around his neck and felt silent tears well in her eyes, eventually falling.  
  
Pidge felt the warm tears fall against his skin as she buried her face in his throat. He tightened his arms around her and swallowed around the lump in his throat. It was going to be hard watching her leave. Even though she had only been on Arus for two months, he had grown used to having her there and it was going to be real hard letting her go.  
  
He kissed the top of her head and she leaned back to look at him, trying valiantly to stop her tears.  
  
"I love you," he whispered.  
  
She smiled weakly, "I love you too."  
  
Pidge leaned down and kissed her gently. Becca tightened her arms around him and deepened the kiss. They moved awkwardly backwards and ended up on the bed, hands and mouths moving hungrily. They couldn't get close enough, touch each other enough. It started out fast and hungry and became slow and gentle.  
  


***************************************************************

  
"Wow," Becca whispered.  
  
She was curled up beside him, her head on his chest, while she tried to catch her breath.  
  
Pidge smiled, running his fingers through her hair. "Did I make you weak in the knees again?"  
  
"Yes, and other places too."  
  
He chuckled, "I want you to know that I didn't plan this. I didn't mean for it to go this far, I mean, well, I don't know what I mean."  
  
She rolled over and propped herself up on his chest, "Are you saying you're sorry we did this?"  
  
"Oh God no! I'm glad we did. I just didn't want you to think I invited you here tonight to take advantage of you."  
  
Becca raised an eyebrow, "You didn't take advantage of me. I don't do anything I don't want to do."  
  
"I know," he brushed his hand up and down her back, smiling when she shivered. "If anything, you took advantage of me."  
  
She snorted, "Yeah right."  
  
"Hey, I'm just an innocent young computer programmer who was jumped on by an aggressive med student who just happens to have studied anatomy."  
  
She looked at him, incredulous. But whatever retort she could think of died on her lips as she laughed. "You're hardly innocent!"  
  
"Well, I was before I started seeing you."  
  
"Anyone who has spent as much time with Lance as you have can hardly be considered innocent any more."  
  
"True."  
  
She watched as the expression on his face changed and became more serious. Sighing, she leaned down and kissed him, "It's just a few more months until I'll be back."  
  
"I know."  
  
"So, we should make the most of tonight," she laid her head back down on his chest.  
  
***************************************************************  
  
Loud, insistent knocking pounded it's way into Becca's sleep addled mind. It took her a moment to figure out where she was. She was lying on her side, facing Pidge's back, her arm around his stomach and her forehead resting between his shoulder blades.  
  
She groaned as the knocking was joined by a loud voice, "Rebecca Anne Barlow! I know you're in there! Get up! It's late and for some unknown reason you unpacked everything we packed yesterday. Get out of bed so we can get your stuff back together!" Darcy yelled through the door.  
  
Pidge smiled as she groaned and tightened her arm around him. He took her hand in his, rolled over, and whispered, "She isn't going to go away."  
  
Becca cuddled closer to him, pressing her face into his shoulder and mumbled, "I want the world to just go away."  
  
"Come on, Becs, you need to get moving," he reluctantly pushed her aside and sat up.  
  
She rolled on her back and looked up at the ceiling, a feeling of dread washing over her. "What if I said I didn't want to go? What if I decided to not go back to school, I'll just stay here forever."  
  
"You would regret it for the rest of your life and your father would fly out here to kill both of us."  
  
She sat up, clutching the blankets to her and looked at him, "Promise me you'll write me often and come visit whenever you can."  
  
"I promise," he leaned over and kissed her.  
  
"I'll be back in a few months."  
  
"I've already started ticking off the days on my calendar."  
  
Becca threw her arms around him, hugging him tightly, "I love you, Pidge."  
  
"I love you too."  
  
"Dammit, Rebecca," Darcy yelled. "Come on! Before you miss your flight!"  
  


"Is there a later flight I can take?" She whispered into Pidge's ear.  
  
"No. Come on, you're only making this more difficult."  
  
"I know," with a heavy sigh, she stood and went about gathering up her clothes.   
  
"What possessed you to unpack everything?" Darcy stood with her hands on her hips when the door slid open.  
  
"I needed something to wear," Becca muttered, pushing past her into the hall.  
  
Darcy's expression changed and she fell into step with her sister, "I know how hard this is for you, but you'll be back before you know it."  
  
Becca nodded.  
  
"Let's get your stuff together, I know Nanny is putting together a special breakfast for you."  
  
The entire crew was seated around the table when they arrived a while later. Nanny had gone all out. Plates of waffles, eggs, sausage, home fries, and toast covered the table.  
  
"We can't have you starting on that long trip without a good meal," Nanny said, ushering her to her seat beside Pidge.  
  
"Looks like someone worked up quite an appetite," Lance commented as Pidge shoveled eggs into his mouth.  
  
Darcy smacked his hand, "Behave yourself."  
  
"What? I'm just saying…"  
  
"We know what you're saying and it's better left unsaid."  
  
"For all I know he just went for a five mile run, but _nooo, you have to go and assume I meant something else."  
  
"You always mean something else."  
  
"Children," Keith warned. "Let's play nice or we'll have to separate the two of you."  
  
"Yeah, but when they play nice, it turns into a rather sickening display," Dante pointed out.  
  
"Let's try for some good behavior then." Keith said.  
  
"I am really going to miss this," Becca whispered to Pidge.  
  
"No whispering at the table," Hunk announced. "It's rude."  
  
"I don't think we want to know what she was whispering to him," Caleb pointed out.  
  
Lance swallowed a mouthful of juice and said, "I think it's time for Caleb to get a woman." He turned to his wife, "We all seem to have good luck with the Barlow women, what about your cousin Gina?"  
  
"She, uh, she enjoys the company of woman," Becca said.  
  
"What?" Darcy choked on her toast. "When did that happen?"  
  
"She came out a last Christmas, I can't believe I didn't tell you."  
  
"No, what did Grandma say?"  
  
"She's in denial."  
  
"Alright, what about June?" Lance asked.  
  
"Engaged," Becca told him.  
  
_

"Hey, Lance," Hunk spoke up.  "What about your sister?  Isn't Leslie available?"

"You lay a finger on my sister and I'll rip your hand off."

  
"How about you don't try to set me up," Caleb suggested.

"Oh, so you can offer up members of my family, but you can't allow him to hook up with your sister?"  Darcy asked.

"That's different."

"How so?"

Giving himself time to think, Lance stuffed half a waffle into his mouth.

"That's disgusting, Lance."  Becca said.

He shrugged and mumbled something through his full mouth.

"I think Dante and Leslie would make a great couple," Keith said, conversationally.

Darcy pounded on Lance's back as he choked on some waffle.

"That's not funny!"  Lance coughed as he choked out the words.

Koran appeared in the doorway and cleared his throat.  "Your bags are on the ship, Miss Barlow, and take off is in fifteen minutes."

"Oh dear," Nanny jumped to her feet.  "I'll put together some food for you to take with you."

Becca slowly got to her feet and walked around to Allura, "Thank you so much for letting me come."

Allura smiled at her, "We were more than happy to have you, you're welcome whenever you want to come."

"And I want to hear as soon as the babies are born."

Keith stood, "We'll give you a call.  Come back any time."  He gave her a quick hug.

She said her good byes to everyone else.  Lance, Darcy, Schuyler, and Pidge escorted her to the tarmac.  Lance and Darcy led the way while Becca and Pidge loitered behind, walking slowly, neither one speaking.

"Good bye, Becs, have a safe trip," Darcy pulled her into a tight hug.  "Let me know as soon as you get home.  Send Mom and Dad my love."

"I will."

Lance threw an arm around her and gave her a quick, brotherly squeeze, "Take care of yourself, kiddo.  We'll see you in a few months and just think, this time next year, we'll have our own place and you'll always have a room there."

"Thanks Lance," she returned his hug and dropped a kiss on Schuyler's head.  "Good bye, little Sky.  Next time I see you, it'll be time for Santa."

Nanny scurried out on to the tarmac, clutching a bag.  "Here, there are enough sandwiches and whatnot to keep you fed for the trip home."

"Thank you, Nanny."

"Come visit us again soon."

"I will," Becca smiled at the older woman.  "Thank you."

Lance and Darcy stepped aside, giving Becca and Pidge the illusion of privacy.  Not that they needed it.  As soon as she stood in front of him, everyone and everything around them disappeared.

"Pidge…"

"Becca…"

They laughed awkwardly.

"Go ahead," he whispered.

"I'm going to miss you," she threw her arms around him.

"I'm going to miss you too, Bec," he turned and kissed her hair before bringing his lips to her ear and whispering, "Remember that I am always thinking of you.  If you ever feel lonely or overwhelmed, just remember I'm thinking of you and I'm here for you if you ever need me."

Becca drew in a shaking breath and pulled back to look him in the eye, "The same goes for you.  And I promise not to study anatomy with anyone but you."

He smiled weakly, "I love you."

"I love you, too."

Pidge cupped the back of her head and kissed her, allowing the intensity of his feelings to flow into her.  Becca felt her knees weaken as she clutched the back of his shirt, tears spilling from her eyes, moistening his cheeks.

"Bec," Darcy said gently.

Becca pulled back, her cheeks wet and her lips swollen.  "I'll let you know as soon as I'm back on Terra."

He nodded, "Please do."

Becca was reluctant to let go of his hand and held it until both their arms were out stretched.  The four of them stood on the tarmac and watched her board.  She saw Darcy go to stand beside Pidge, wrapping an arm around his shoulders.  They all waved as the ship took off, speeding her off Arus and towards Terra.

On board, Becca brushed her shaking fingers over her tingling lips and toyed with the delicate necklace she wore.  It was only going to be a couple of more months.

******************************************************************************

**AN:**  Sorry for the delay in getting this chapter up.  You know how it is when life gets in the way.  Thank you all for your wonderful support and reviews.  The gears are turning and I have been giving thought to a fluffy holiday story and a K&A story.  When I get time, I'll put them together and post them.

MustangAce~ I have to say that I was in no way putting down the Buffalo Bills, I thought of it as more of a tribute and I'm speaking as someone who has boxes of Flutie Flakes and Kelly Krunch proudly on display in my kitchen ;-)  I come from a long line of Bills fans and I have been one since 6th grade (and that predates the 90s, so you can't accuse me of jumping any bandwagons).  The Becca I imagine is a bit of a tomboy and a sports fan.  Since she and Darcy are from Toronto, I thought I would make her a Buffalo fan.  Go Bills!  

RedLion, Queen Merla, QuikerKookie, Craze, Anony ~ Thank you all so much for your wonderful, helpful reviews and support!  

Thanks everyone!  
Failte


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